WINDERS 

OF  Missions 

Caroline 
Atwater 
Mason 


:*   JUL  p.?  1922  A 


BV  2060  _M3      ^,„,,ter, 

Mason,  Caro i 

1853-1939. 
wonders  of  missions 


WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 


CAROLINE  ATWATER  MASON 


"The  lesson  of  the  missionaries 
is  the  enchanter's  wand." 

Charles  Darwin. 


WONDERS 
OF    MISSIONS 


/i 


/C^^ 


\i\  Qf  f*" 


CAROLINE  ATWATER  MASOl^ 

^«f/ior  of  '  '(£6/CAL  SI 

'4  Lily  of  France,"  "The  Little  Green  God,"  "World  Mis^ 
sions  and  World  Peace,"  "The  Spell  of 
Southern  Shores,"  etc. 


NEW  Xalr  YORK 
GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1922, 
BY  GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANYj 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


To  My  Lifelong  Friend 

LUCY  W.  PEABODY 

Whose  Constructive  Work   and  Whose   Spirit 

of  Devotion  in  the  Cause  of  Christian  Missions 

Have  Been  My  Inspiration 

This  Book  is  Dedicated 


FOREWORD 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  not  to  narrate  the  story 
of  Foreign  Missions,  but  to  illustrate  it.  l^o  attempt 
has  been  made  to  present  a  comprehensive  thesaurus  of 
striking  episodes  in  the  course  of  missionary  history.  I 
suppose,  were  this  to  be  done,  not  even  the  world  itself 
could  contain  the  books  that  should  be  written.  The 
incidents  and  characters  described,  gleaned  from  many 
sources,  may  not  transcend  in  interest  or  importance 
multitudes  not  here  included.  These  have  been  chosen 
as  typical  and  signiificant.  They  are  set  forth  in  the 
belief  that,  however  familiar,  they  will  serve  afresh  as 
a  tonic  to  our  faith  and  to  our  devotion. 

C.  A.  M. 


CONTENTS 


PA<n 
PART  ONE:   THE  STANDARD  LIFTED 

CHAPTER 

I    The  Cobbler •     *     »  15 

II    Ankus  Mihabius,  1792 29 

III  The  Wycliffe  of  the  East  .     • 30 

IV  The  Cross  of  Christ  ik  thk  Hovbk  of  Commows  .     .  43 
V    "I  Cak  Plod" 50 

VI    What  Men  Said  of  Cabit  .........  56 

PART  TWO:   THE  VANGUARD 

I    The  Arousal «•*.•..  63 

II     Apostles  to  India     ..» 71 

III  Apostles  to  Chika »....  78 

IV  The   Apostle   to   Burma 85 

PART  THREE:   THE  VANGUARD  (Continued) 

I    Apostles  to  the  Turkish  Empire     .     .     .     .     .     .  117 

II     Aposles  to  Africa 129 

III    Crus^voers  of  Compassion 145 

PART  FOUR:    ALONG  LIVINGSTONE'S  TRAIL 

I    Philanthropy  Not  Enough 163 

II      FBAN9OIS   COILLARD      ....«.«.»..  165 

III     Christina  Coillard  ..^....r.-...  168 

ix 


X 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  VAC  v. 

IV    The  Mission  or  the  Basuto  to  the  Bahotsi  .     .      .  172 

V  Ok  Livingstone's  Gbound 178 

VI     The  Close  of  Day 183 

VII     The  RoAD-BuiLDEaa 185 

VIII     "The-Geeat-White-Ma-Who-Ltved-Alone"      .     .      .  198 

PART  FIVE:    THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

I    The  White  Peril ,     .     .  206 

II     The  White  Benison 911 

III  Cheibt'i   Mastee-Mabinee 217 

IV  The  Hervey  Islands 229 

V  Death  and  Life  in  the  New  Hebrides 226 

VI     King  George  Tubotj  of  Tonga 233 

VII    JoELi,  "A  Man   Indeed" 237 

VIII     Pao,  Apostle  of  Lifu 242 

IX    Kekela  and  Abraham  Lincoln 245 

X    Great-Heart  of  New  Guinea 248 

PART  SIX:  THE  SPLENDID  ADVENTUROUS  THIR- 
TIES 

I    The  Decade  1832-1842 9i9 

II    The  Bible  and  the  School 261 

III  Education  of  Women  of  the  East 964 

IV  LOTEDALE    AND    OtHERS 270 

V  Flow  and  Ebb  in  Madagascar 276 

VI    Trrus  Coan  of  Hilo 281 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGE 

PART  SEVEN:  HIGH  LIGHTS  DOWN  THE  DECADES 

1852-1922 

CHAPTER 

I     The  Sunrise  Kingdom 289 

II     Apostles  to  Japan 293 

III  Japanese  Progress  and  Problems 302 

IV  "The  Cause  of  the  Afflicted" 305 

V    Opening  Doors  and  Mass  Movements 309 

VI     A  Blood-Red  Sbal 321 

VII     Ckoss  AND  Crescent 328 

VIII     Makers  of  the  Futube  ............  339 


Part  One:   THE  STANDARD  LIFTED 


"If  Christian  Missions  were  to  take  tlieir  rightful  place 
in  Britain's  Indian  activities  a  double  conversion  was  clearly 
required, — a  conversion  in  Britain  as  well  as  in  India,  a 
conversion  of  the  churches  to  missionary  duty,  as  well  as 
a  conversion  of  the  Hindus  to  the  Christian  faith.  .  .  .  One 
line  is  peculiar  to  Carey,  and  marks  him  off  from  all  later 
missionaries.  Those  who  followed  him,  even  the  greatest  of 
them,  went  out  at  the  call  of  the  Church,  addressed  to  them 
directly  or  indirectly.  The  Church  called  and  they  re- 
sponded. But  Carey  had  to  constrain  the  Church  to  issue 
the  call.  His  was  the  compelling  force  that  raised  the 
Church  from  her  inertia." 

J.  N.  Ogilvie. 

"Let  me  tell  you  what  I  consider  the  greatest  miracle  of 
the  present  day.  It  is  this:  That  to  this  country  with  its 
over  300  millions  of  people,  there  should  come  from  a  little 
island,  unknown  even  by  name  to  our  forefathers,  many 
thousand  miles  distant  from  our  shores,  and  with  a  popula- 
tion of  about  50  or  60  millions,  a  message  so  full  of  spiritual 
life  and  strength  as  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Surely  this  is  a 
miracle  if  there  ever  was  one.  And  this  message  has  not 
only  come,  but  is  finding  response  in  our  hearts.  The  proc- 
ess of  the  conversion  of  India  to  Christ  may  not  be  going 
on  as  rapidly  as  you  hope,  or  exactly  in  the  manner  you  hope, 
but  nevertheless  I  say,  India  is  being  converted.  The  ideas 
which  lie  at  the  heart  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  are  slowly 
but  surely  permeating  •  every  phase  of  Hindu  thought." 

Sir  Narayan  G.  Chardavarkar, 
Judge  of  the  High  Court  of  Bombay. 


WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 


I 

THE  COBBLER 

1789 

On  a  June  evening  a  young  man  with  a  pack  on  his 
back  plodded  along  the  country  road  which  leads  from 
iNorthampton  in  the  English  Midlands  to  the  outlying 
town  of  Kettering. 

Although  it  was  yet  scarcely  dusk  the  hour  was  late, 
the  pack  was  plainly  heavy  and  the  bent  shoulders  and 
slow  steps  of  the  man  who  bore  it  suggested  that  the  end 
of  a  long  tramp  after  a  long  day's  work  was  at  hand. 
And  so  it  was.  A  few  lights  could  now  be  seen  off  to 
the  left,  and  passing  an  imposing  stone  gateway, — 
entrance  to  Overstone  Park, — the  traveller,  whose  name 
was  William  Carey,  came  suddenly  upon  the  cluster  of 
cottages  which  forms  the  village  of  Moulton. 

Turning  with  quickened  steps  into  a  narrow  lane  the 
young  man  soon  reached  a  row  of  six  thatched  cottages, 
their  casements  wreathed  with  June  roses,  their  gardens 
gay  with  larkspur  and  gilly-flowers  even  in  the  failing 
light. 

As  he  entered  the  house-door  Carey  dropped  his  pack 
noiselessly  on  the  floor  of  the  narrow  entry,  then  passed 
into  the  keeping-room.  A  querulous  voice  challenged 
him  from  the  room  beyond. 

15 


16  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

"What  ill  news  this  time  ?"  was  the  greeting. 

"No  ill  news,  Dolly.  I  hope  you're  all  right.  I've  a 
bit  of  new  leather  with  me  so  there's  work  to  finish  yet 
to-night.    It  will  keep  me  late  I  fear." 

"What  do  I  care,  late  or  early,  so  you  come  quiet? 
Let  the  children  sleep  now,  for  mercy's  sake." 

Upon  this  Carey  stepped  softly  back  the  way  he  had 
come,  picked  up  his  bundle,  and  went  on  through  the 
kitchen,  thence  into  a  small  well-kept  vegetable  garden. 
Here,  at  right  angles  with  the  cottage,  stood  a  rude  shed. 
Above   its   low  door   appeared   a   sign:   second-hand 

SHOES  BOUGHT  AND  SOLD. 

The  place  was  silent  and  unlighted  as  Carey  entered 
it,  but  he  seemed  to  look  for  no  good  cheer  to  attend  his 
coming.  With  the  practised  motions  of  the  man  who 
has  learned  to  serve  himself  he  lighted  a  candle,  then 
brought  out  from  a  cupboard  bread  and  cheese,  which 
he  placed  with  a  certain  fastidious  orderliness  upon  the 
work-bench  standing  between  two  windows. 

Before  he  sat  down  to  his  evening  meal,  however,  the 
cobbler  opened  the  packet  which  he  had  carried  home 
from  Northampton  and  took  out  sheet  after  sheet  of 
coarse,  heavy  leather.  These  he  laid  with  great  care 
upon  a  rude  shelf  beside  the  bench,  ready  for  his  night's 
work.  Seating  himself  on  the  wooden  stool  before  the 
bench,  he  bowed  his  head  in  a  silent  blessing,  then 
attacked  his  supper  with  a  will.  The  candle's  rays  fell 
on  a  large  sheet  of  whity-brown  paper  tacked  up  to  face 
him  on  the  wall  above  the  bench.  It  was  composed  of 
several  small  sheets  pasted  together.  Carey's  eyes  re- 
mained fixed  upon  this  sheet  as  he  ate  with  inexorable 
concentration. 

In  some  curious  fashion  the  shop  seemed  to  contain 
in  reality  this  one  thing  only.    All  beside  was  essentially 


THE  COBBLER  17 

negligible  to  the  cobbler.  And  all  beside  was  sordid  and 
bleak  enough.  On  this  paper  was  drawn  in  rude  but 
well-emphasised  outline  a  map  of  the  eastern  and  west- 
em  continents,  certain  portions  being  picked  out  in 
colours  or  marked  by  symbolic  signs. 

Having  put  away  the  remnants  of  his  supper,  Carey 
made  the  bench  tidy,  then  put  on  his  shoemaker's  apron, 
laid  out  the  tools  required  for  the  work  next  before 
him  and  with  these  a  Hebrew  grammar,  drawn  from 
the  pocket  of  his  threadbare  coat.  As  he  did  this  he 
was  surprised  by  a  knock  at  the  shop  door.  On  open- 
ing it  a  tall,  heavily-built  man  in  parson's  dress  entered. 

"How  are  you  the  night,  William  Carey  ?"  he  asked, 
shaking  hands  gravely  but  with  hearty  kindliness. 
"And  how's  the  wife  ?  and  the  bairns  ?  Church  business 
brought  me  to  Moulton  to-day.  I  knew  I'd  find  your 
light  burning,  so  stepped  in  before  going  to  the  Checkers 
of  Hope  where  I  am  to  bide  till  morning." 

Carey  murmured  a  welcome,  his  acute  pleasure  in 
the  unlooked-for  visit  rendering  him  almost  inarticulate. 

Andrew  Fuller,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Ket- 
tering, was  but  seven  years  older  than  his  host,  but  he 
carried  with  him,  in  person  and  bearing,  the  dignity, 
confidence  and  spiritual  authority  of  the  established 
religious  leader,  which  were  altogether  lacking  to  the 
other.  Although  Carey  had  been  a  lay  preacher  since 
he  was  nineteen  (he  was  now  twenty-eight)  and  had  for 
three  years  been  in  charge  of  the  little  Moulton  church, 
his  humility  and  distrust  of  himself  were  pathetic. 

"Pve  great  news  to  give  you.  Brother,"  remarked 
Carey,  as  the  friends  settled  into  conversation.  "You 
find  me  working  at  my  trade  as  usual,  and  so  I  shall  be 
yet  a  few  weeks,  but  not  longer." 

"What  good  fortune  has  befallen  you  1" 


18  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

^'Well,"  pursued  Carey,  self-command  and  poise  now 
returned,  "it  happens  in  this  way.  Yesterday  week  I 
took  in  my  work  to  Kettering, — where  I  failed  to  find 
you  in  when  I  went  to  your  house, — and  just  as  I  had 
emptied  my  bag,  who  should  come  in  but  Mr.  Gotch 
himself." 

"Ah,  indeed.    Very  good,"  murmured  Fuller. 

"He  took  up  one  of  the  shoes  and  he  said  to  me,  'Let 
me  see,  Carey,  how  much  do  you  earn  a  week  V  I  said, 
'About  nine  shillings,  sir.'  Then  said  Mr.  Gotch,  'I 
have  a  secret  to  tell  you,  which  is  this :  I  do  not  intend 
you  shall  spoil  any  more  of  my  leather,  but  you  may 
proceed  as  fast  as  you  can  with  your  Latin,  Greek  and 
Hebrew,  and  I  will  allow  you  from  my  own  private 
purse,  ten  shillings  a  week.'  " 

"A  generous-minded  gentleman,  Mr.  Gotch,  for  a 
fact,"  rejoined  Fuller,  his  face  enlivened  by  warm  sat- 
isfaction.   "And  he  sees  what  is  inside  a  man." 

"A  marvellous  great  heart  he  has,"  echoed  Carey. 
"Think  of  what  that  means.  With  that  sum  and  almost 
five  shillings  besides  which  I  get  from  my  people  here 
in  Moulton,  I  can  make  a  comfortable  living  even  though 
I  no  longer  earn  aught  for  the  school  teaching.  The 
old  master,  you  know,  is  back  again." 

"l^ot  an  over-great  income  for  the  keep  of  wife  and 
three  youngsters,"  commented  Fuller  a  shade  dubiously. 
"How  often  do  you  have  meat,  I  wonder  ?" 

"Oh,  once  a  month  any  way.  And  this  is  better  than 
I  can  do  with  the  cobbling,  and  think  of  the  chance  I'll 
have  at  the  Greek  and  for  searching  into  the  state  of  the 
nations,  Mr.  Fuller.  You  see  yonder,"  and  he  pointed 
towards  the  bench.  "That  map  is  what  I  feed  on  by 
day  and  by  night.  You  can  see  the  marks  there  for 
population,   state  as  to  religion   and   all   such.     The 


THE  COBBLER  19 

world's  needs  as  they  stand  before  me  are  overwhelming, 
and  what  are  we  Christian  folk  in  England  doing?" 

Fuller  shook  his  head.  This  was  plainly  a  sore  point 
and  an  old  one  with  his  friend. 

"Little  enough,"  he  murmured. 

"'Not  little,  but  nothing,"  exclaimed  Carey,  his  eyes 
flashing,  his  face  glowing  with  impassioned  feeling. 
"For  ten  years,  as  you  know, — for  you  searched  my 
mind  three  years  ago  when  you  and  Ryland  and  Sut- 
cliff  ordained  me  to  the  ministry, — ^my  heart  has  been 
weighed  down  with  a  sense  of  the  awful  condition  of 
the  slaves  and  of  the  heathen.  Every  day  of  my  life  I 
wrestle  with  God  in  prayer  for  them.  But,  Mr.  Fuller, 
I  sometimes  think  I  hear  a  voice  within  my  soul  that 
says  to  me:  Who  will  answer  your  prayer  if  not  your- 
self?" 

Then  seeing  the  startled  look  which  appeared  in 
Fuller's  face,  he  continued, 

"I  know  what  you  think  but  will  not  say: — Can 
"William  Carey,  this  ill-fed,  ill-clothed,  ill-educated 
cobbler,  with  his  sick  wife  and  ailing  children,  think  he 
is  called  of  God  to  do  what  no  English  Christian,  lay- 
man or  minister  of  our  day  has  done, — go  to  heathen 
lands  as  a  missionary  ?" 

As  Fuller  attempted  to  interrupt  him,  Carey,  wholly 
unconscious  now  of  the  old  sense  of  inferiority  to  his 
friend,  persisted. 

"Yes,  my  brother,"  he  cried,  "I  have  even  dreamed 
that  such  might  be  God's  will  for  me.  For  look  you,  I 
can  carry  burdens,  heavy  ones.  I  have  carried  them 
all  my  life.  And  I  can  plod.  And  then" — breaking 
off  with  a  laugh,  yet  wistfully,  "you  know  yourself  I 
have  a  turn  for  languages." 


20  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Fuller  gazed  at  him  in  silence  for  a  moment,  then  spoke. 

"Yes.  That  is  hardly  too  strong.  Seven  weeks  suf- 
ficed you  to  master  Latin,  I  rememher,  and  now  you 
have  compassed  Greek  and  are  on  your  way  to  Hebrew, 
I  judge  from  yonder  grammar  on  your  bench.  But, 
William,  do  you  not  comprehend  that  our  brethren 
would  regard  such  a  proposal  on  your  part  as  spiritual 
presumption  ?  Surely  they  will  tell  you  that  in  the  pur- 
poses of  God  according  to  election  the  heathen  are  set 
apart  as  vessels  of  wrath  unto  destruction  ?" 

"Andrew  Fuller,"  declared  Carey,  rising  and  facing 
the  other,  something  stem  and  compelling  in  his  look, 
"you  and  I  know  that  is  not  true." 

Then  he  turned  away,  brought  out  a  rudely  locked 
wooden  box  and  with  a  sudden  shyness,  as  he  took  from 
it  a  handful  of  written  sheets,  said: 

"I  have  put  together  here  a  few  considerations  which 
have  come  to  me  on  this  subject.  Would  you  care  to 
look  these  pages  over  ?" 

Fuller,  taking  the  manuscript  into  his  hand,  read 
aloud  the  words  which  appeared  to  stand  as  title  to  the 
paper : 

"An  Enquiry  into  the  Obligations  of  Christians  to 
use  means  for  the  Conversion  of  the  Heathens,  in  which 
the  Religious  State  of  the  Different  Nations  of  the 
World,  the  Success  of  Former  Undertakings,  and  the 
Practicability  of  Further  Undertakings  are  considered 
by  Willia^m  Carey.  ,  .  .  For  there  is  no  difference  be- 
tween the  Jew  and  the  Greek.  .  .  .  How  shall  they 
preach  except  they  be  sent?" 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence.  Half  mechanically 
Carey  turned  away  to  his  bench  and  took  up  one  of  his 
tools. 


THE  COBBLER  21 

Then  Fuller  said,  "Fetch  another  candle,  my  friend, 
if  you  will.  I  see  I  must  look  into  this.  Set  about 
your  own  work  the  while,  whether  it  be  mending  shoes 
to-night  or  studying  Hebrew." 

At  the  end  of  an  hour,  Carey,  hearing  an  exclama- 
tion from  Fuller,  turned  from  his  bench. 

Heading  with  deliberate  emphasis  from  the  manu- 
script in  his  hand.  Fuller  pronounced  these  sentences: 

"  *Can  we  as  men  or  as  Christians,  hear  that  a  great 
part  of  our  fellow-creatures,  whose  souls  are  as  immortal 
as  ours  .  .  .  are  enveloped  in  ignorance  and  barbar- 
ism? Can  we  hear  that  they  are  without  the  Gospel, 
without  government,  without  laws,  and  without  arts 
and  sciences,  and  not  exert  ourselves  to  introduce  among 
them  the  sentiments  of  men  and  Christians  ?  ...  It  is 
inconsistent  for  ministers  to  please  themselves  with 
thoughts  of  a  numerous  auditory,  cordial  friends,  a 
civilised  country,  legal  protection,  affluence,  even  a  com- 
petency. The  slight  and  hatred  of  men,  even  pretended 
friends,  gloomy  prisons  and  tortures,  the  society  of 
barbarians  of  uncouth  speech,  miserable  accommoda- 
tions in  wretched  wildernesses,  hunger  and  thirst, 
nakedness,  weariness  and  painfulness,  hard  work  and 
but  little  encouragement,  should  rather  be  the  objects 
of  their  expectation.  Thus  the  apostles  acted  in  the 
primitive  times,  and  endured  hardness,  as  good  soldiers 
of  Jesus  Christ.'  " 

Here  Fuller  broke  off,  rose  to  his  feet,  and  laid  his 
hand  on  his  friend's  shoulder,  and  exclaimed : 

"You  have  written  the  ablest  missionary  treatise  since 
the  days  of  the  l^ew  Testament.  But  how  dare  you  do 
it,  William  Carey,  unless  you  are  ready  to  follow  all  the 
way  it  leads  you  ?" 

"I  am  ready,  by  the  grace  of  God,"  was  the  answer. 


II 

ANNUS  MIRABILIS 
1792 

At  the  door  of  the  Church  of  St.  Mary's  in  Leicester 
on  a  Spring  morning  two  men  were  standing  engaged 
in  earnest  talk.  The  one,  a  graceful,  polished  gentle- 
man in  the  garb  of  the  Anglican  clergy,  was  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Kobinson,  rector  of  the  church.  The  other,  a 
short,  thick-set  man,  noticeable  only  for  the  intellectual 
power  of  the  fine  head  and  brow,  was  William  Carey, 
for  two  years  now  pastor  of  the  Harvey  Lane  Baptist 
chapel. 

A  rare  sight  in  those  days,  the  fraternising  of  two 
men  of  these  opposing  ecclesiastical  positions,  even 
though  neighbours,  as  in  this  case.  But  of  these  two, 
each  was  a  law  unto  himself.  Robinson  was  of  the 
evangelical  strain,  hence  in  harmony  with  all  simple  and 
sincere  souls.  Carey,  although  bom  and  bred  in  the 
Established  Church  and  forsaking  it  in  boyhood  for  the 
Baptist  body  only  from  a  crude  sense  of  bearing  a  self- 
imposed  cross,  was  of  all  men  most  catholic  in  his  con- 
victions. To  him  the  division  into  denominations  was  a 
matter  of  method,  not  a  matter  of  faith. 

"I  wish  you  would  give  me  the  secret  of  your  preach- 
ing, Mr.  Carey,"  remarked  Mr.  Robinson,  anent  some 
matter  under  discussion  between  them.  "Your  people 
love  you,  they  tell  me,  as  they  love  their  own  souls.    I 

22 


ANNUS  MIRABILIS  23 

hear  of  your  crowded  chapel,  of  the  new  gallery  de- 
manded to  hold  the  folk  who  throng  to  your  services. 
!Now,  I  have  no  need  for  new  galleries !  Look  out.  J 
may  accuse  you  one  of  these  days  of  stealing  my  sheep." 

They  laughed  together  at  the  notion,  but  Carey  re- 
plied presently  with  serious  emphasis,  "Mr.  Robinson, 
I  am  a  dissenter  and  you  are  a  churchman.  We  must 
endeavour  to  do  good  according  to  our  light.  You  may 
be  assured  that  I  had  rather  be  the  instrument  of  con- 
verting a  scavenger  that  sweeps  the  streets,  than  of 
merely  proselyting  the  richest  and  best  characters  in 
your  congregation." 

"That  I  most  heartily  believe,"  returned  the  other. 
"Carey,  you  are  an  example  to  all  of  us  in  more  ways 
than  one.  Never  did  I  see  so  inveterate  a  student  of  the 
dead  languages,  or  of  divinity.  Man,  you  are  unmerci- 
ful to  yourself!  Never  an  hour  do  you  spare  for 
pastime." 

"Pastime!"  broke  in  Carey,  "have  you  not  seen  my 
flowers?  My  pride,  my  joy?  Botany,  my  dear  sir,  is 
my  pastime.  Can  you  name  a  better  ?  And  next  week 
I  shall  have  a  holiday,  for  I  go  to  Nottingham,  to  the 
ministers'  meeting  of  our  persuasion  there." 

"How  about  your  ministers?"  inquired  Robinson. 
Do  they  respond  to  this  missionary  passion  with  which 
you  are  inspired?  I  have  read  your  publication,  the 
Enquiry,  and  admire  its  tone  and  temper,  as  you  know. 
But  in  our  communion  I  find  no  such  spirit.  The  idea 
of  a  Christian  mission  to  the  Orient,  particularly  to 
India,  is  regarded  by  churchmen  as  fanatical,  worst  of 
all, — in  shocking  taste,"  and  he  smiled  half  bitterly. 

"Our  men  will  respond,"  said  Carey  quietly.  "My 
face  is  set  to  the  heathen  world,  and  how  shall  I  go 
unless  I  be  sent  ?" 


24  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

"Do  not,  I  beg  of  you,"  exclaimed  Robinson,  "set 
your  face  towards  India." 

"The  islands  of  the  South  Seas  are  my  choice,  but 
why  not  India  ?" 

"Our  Government  which  protects  and  upholds  the 
Church,  you  know,  also  protects  the  India  House." 
Again  a  smile,  half  cynical,  half  sad,  crossed  the  rector's 
face.  "The  two  see  eye  to  eye  on  the  subject  of  mis- 
sions to  the  natives  as  subversive  of  all  good  govern- 
ment. You  would  have  a  powerful  antagonist  in  the 
East  India  Company  if  you  struck  athwart  their  posi- 
tion." 

"But  I  should  have  a  more  powerful  Ally,  you  know," 
with  which,  smiling  a  Good  Morning,  Carey  parted  with 
his  good  neighbour  and  friend  for  the  morning. 

A  week  later  the  Baptist  ministers  of  that  section  of 
country  were  gathered  in  the  church  in  Nottingham 
for  their  annual  meeting.  On  the  evening  of  May  31st 
William  Carey  stood  in  the  pulpit  and  preached  the 
sermon  which  has  caused  that  year,  1792,  to  be  known 
as  the  annus  mirahilis  in  the  story  of  missions. 

All  the  burning  convictions  so  long  pent  up  broke 
through  the  humble  craftsman's  restraints  of  self- 
distrust  and  diffidence.  He  who  had  been  at  once  village 
school-master,  cobbler  and  preacher,  addressed  his 
brethren  as  a  prophet  of  God,  fearless,  authoritative, 
denouncing  the  complacent  indifference  to  missions  in 
the  church  at  large  for  fourteen  centuries.  The  subject 
of  the  preaching  was  the  obligation  of  the  Christian 
Church  to  give  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  world.  The 
text  was  Isaiah  liv:2,  3;  the  gist: 

EXPECT  GREAT  THINGS  FROM  GOD. 
ATTEMPT  GREAT  THINGS  FOR  GOD. 


ANNUS  MIRABILIS  25 

TBe  company  was  swept  as  by  an  electric  storm. 

*'If  all  the  people  had  lifted  up  their  voices  and  wepty 
I  should  not  have  wondered  at  the  effect.  It  would  only 
have  seemed  proportionate  to  the  cause,  so  clearly  did 
he  prove  the  criminality  of  our  supineness  to  the  cause 
of  God."  Thus  Dr.  John  Eyland  described  the  imme- 
diate reaction  to  this  historic  appeal. 

But  when  Carey  came  down  from  the  pulpit  still 
trembling  with  the  force  of  his  spiritual  passion,  and 
took  John  Ryland's  outstretched  hand,  he  sought  in  vain 
for  suggestion  of  definite  response  to  his  supreme 
appeal. 

What  did  it  mean?  He  had  noted  the  change  of 
color,  the  flicker  of  emotion  in  the  countenances  of  his 
hearers  as  he  was  speaking.  Was  the  effect  gone  al- 
ready ?  He  turned  to  Andrew  Fuller.  Fuller  grasped 
his  hand  but  did  not  meet  his  eye.  He  spoke  confusedly 
of  generalities  in  the  order  of  the  day.  But  Carey  saw 
that  he  trembled.  Others  were  turning  away  as  if  pre- 
ferring not  to  encounter  him. 

In  anguish  of  spirit  approaching  despair,  Carey 
grasped  Fuller's  arm. 

"And  are  you  after  all,  about  to  separate  again  with- 
out doing  anything?"  he  cried  in  bitterness  which  could 
not  be  restrained.  Neither  could  it  be  gainsaid.  For 
Carey  prevailed.  These  "inexperienced,  poor  and 
ignorant  village  preachers"  then  and  there  took  heart 
of  grace  to  do  their  part,  since  face  to  face  with  them 
stood  a  man  called  of  God  to  the  great  adventure. 

The  brethren  were  summoned  to  order;  and  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  was  passed  and  was  recorded  on  the 
minutes  of  that  memorable  day :  "That  a  plan  be  pre- 
pared against  the  next  Ministers'  Meeting  at  Kettering 


26  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

for  forming   a   Baptist   Society   for   propagating  the 
Gospel  among  the  Heathen." 


It  was  the  second  day  of  October,  1792.  From  it  we 
date  the  genesis  of  our  modem  Foreign  Missions.  In 
Kettering,  market-town  of  Northamptonshire,  twelve 
ministers  had  come  together,  twelve  men  as  little  fitted 
to  lead  a  new  and  mighty  crusade  in  parts  of  the  world 
far  distant  and  unknown,  as  were  the  twelve  peasants 
of  Galilee  who  once  met  in  the  upper  room  in  Jerusalem 
to  take  counsel  together  concerning  the  will  and  work 
of  their  ascended  Lord.  Like  them,  these  Englishmen 
were  without  money,  without  influence.  There  was  no 
precedent  for  them  to  follow ;  no  missionary  association 
whose  methods  they  might  imitate ;  no  favourable  open- 
ing was  known  to  them  in  any  heathen  country ;  no  other 
body  of  Protestant  Christians  in  England  contemplated 
or  even  favoured  such  action. 

As  Andrew  Fuller  said  afterwards,  "When  we  began 
in  1Y92  there  was  little  or  no  respectability  among  us; 
not  so  much  as  a  squire  to  sit  in  the  chair,  or  an  orator 
to  make  speeches  to  him.  Good  Dr.  Stennett  advised 
the  London  ministers  to  stand  aloof,  and  not  commit 
themselves." 

Andrew  Fuller  had  recently  lost  by  death  his  right 
hand  man  in  his  Kettering  parish.  Deacon  Wallis.  His 
widow,  knowing  what  would  have  been  her  husband's 
desire,  invited  these  men  to  meet  that  evening  in  her 
comfortable  home.  The  parlour  of  the  house,  on  the 
ground  floor,  looking  out  upon  the  garden,  had  been 
set  apart  hospitably  for  their  use.  Here,  not  without 
trepidation,  but  not  without  the  dignity  of  courage,  the 


ANNUS  MIRABILIS  27 

twelve  almost  imknown  Englishmen  sat  together  for 
hours  in  conference,  a  conference  whose  issues  are  to- 
day felt  round  the  globe. 

Resolutions  were  passed,  twelve  in  number.  Here  are 
the  first  and  the  third : 

"1.  Desirous  of  making  an  effort  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  among  the  heathen,  agreeably  to  what 
is  recommended  in  Brother  Carey's  late  publication  on 
that  subject,  we,  whose  names  appear  to  the  present 
subscription,  do  solemnly  agree  to  act  in  society  to- 
gether for  that  purpose. 

"3.  As  such  an  undertaking  must  needs  be  attended 
with  expense,  we  agree  immediately  to  open  a  subscrip- 
tion for  the  above  purpose  and  to  recommend  it  to 
others." 

Twelve  signatures  follow,  after  which  is  added: 
"whose  subscriptions  in  all  amounted  to  £13 :2s  :6d." 
Andrew  Fuller  was  named  secretary  of  the  Society. 

Thus  was  born  the  first  Protestant  Missionary  So- 
ciety in  the  Anglo-Saxon  world. 

On  January  10th,  1793,  William  Carey  and  John 
Thomas,  a  Christian  ship's  surgeon  who  had  been  in 
India  and  had  preached  to  the  Hindu  people,  were 
appointed  by  the  newly  created  Society  missionaries, 
Bengal  being  the  proposed  field  of  labour.  Support  for 
these  two  men  with  their  wives  and  children  was  named 
as  "£100  or  £150  a  year  between  them  all"  until  they 
should  he  able  to  support  themselves.  As  it  turned  out, 
it  was  only  for  three  years  that  these  first  missionaries 
received  their  meagre  stipend,  and  during  that  time  the 
sum  total  remitted  was  £200.     Self-support  was  one  of 


28  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Carey's  cardinal  principles,  drawn  from  the  Moravian 
Missions,  his  noble  example. 

On  June  13th,  1793,  the  missionary  company  set  sail 
for  India  on  the  Danish  ship  Cron  Princessa  Maria, 
The  five  intervening  months  had  been  full  of  trouble, 
Carey  having  for  the  first  time  encountered  the  in- 
flexible opposition  of  the  East  India  Company.  Mis- 
sionaries were  "a  contraband  article."  !N^o  unlicensed 
person  could  be  allowed  to  enter  India,  and  the  Com- 
pany would  grant  no  license  to  men  bent  on  such  a 
mission  as  his.  Robinson  had  known  whereof  he  spoke. 
Hence,  after  embarking  on  the  East  Indiaman,  Oxford, 
they  were  ejected  therefrom  as  open  to  the  charge  of 
*'high  crime  and  misdemeanor"  and  landed  summarily 
on  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

But  Danish  India,  free  from  the  commercial  tyranny 
of  the  British  East  India  Company,  had  no  such  ruling 
of  exclusion  against  Carey  and  Thomas.  A  Danish 
Indiaman,  touching  at  Dover,  willingly  took  the  mis- 
sionaries on  board. 

They  were  off  at  last!  Great  was  their  joy.  What 
now  could  hinder  them?  But  obstacles  which  would 
have  daunted  any  heart  less  fixed  than  Carey's  awaited 
them.  For  Calcutta,  where  they  landed  on  ISTovember 
11th,  offered  them  no  abiding  place.  The  East  India 
Company  being  firmly  entrenched  in  Bengal,  it  was  not 
as  a  professed  missionary,  but  as  farmer,  teacher,  indigo 
planter,  that  William  Carey  was  forced  to  spend  his  first 
years  in  India.  He  could  bide  his  time.  The  word  of 
God  was  not  hound. 

And  it  was  under  the  Danish  flag  in  the  port  of 
Serampore  after  a  six  years'  struggle  against  bitter 
poverty  and  difficulties  indescribable,  that  Carey  at  last, 
in  the  year  1800,  obtained  a  permanent  foothold.     It 


ANNUS  MIRABILIS  29 

was  under  the  aegis  of  Denmark  therefore  that  the 
modern  missionary  movement  of  which  this  English 
pioneer  was  Father  and  Founder,  was  originally  estab- 
lished. 


ni 

THE  WYCLIFFE  OF  THE  EAST 
1800  et  sequitur 

On  the  right  bank  of  the  Hugli  River  the  traveller 
from  Calcutta  late  in  the  first  decade  of  the  nineteenth 
century  would  note  with  interest  a  group  of  residential 
buildings  surrounded  by  terraces  and  verandas  covering 
several  acres  of  ground.  Among  these  a  chapel  and  a 
printing-house  could  be  seen.  The  entire  group  was 
surrounded  by  magnificent  mahogany  trees.  In  the 
background  extended  a  botanic  garden  of  extraordinary 
beauty.  This  was  the  missionary  establishment  of  the 
"Serampore  Triad." 

Farther  down  the  river  stood  stately  patrician 
dwellings  of  Danish  residents;  opposite,  beyond  the 
Hugli,  a  half  mile  wide  when  in  flood,  could  be  seen  the 
Governor-General's  summer  home,  Aldeen  House,  the 
residence  of  Rev.  David  Brown,  chaplain  to  His  Ex- 
cellency, and  the  extensive  park  of  Barrackpore. 

"At  this  place,"  wrote  William  Carey  to  Andrew 
Fuller  from  Serampore,  February  5th,  1800,  "we  are 
settled  out  of  the  Company's  dominions,  and  under  the 
government  of  a  power  very  friendly  to  us  and  our 
designs." 

But  in  the  year  1801  the  Governor-General  of  Seram- 
pore, we  perceive,  was  no  longer  Danish  but  British. 
.The  kindly  rule  of  Denmark,  in  less  than  two  years 

30 


THE  WYCLIFFE  OF  THE  EAST  SI 

after  the  Serampore  mission  was  established,  had  been 
handed  over  to  the  British  Government,  so  coming  under 
the  hand  of  the  East  India  Company.  In  the  early 
years  of  the  century,  hov^^ever,  the  mission  was  per- 
mitted to  conduct  the  work  already  begun.  The  mis- 
sionaries already  established  under  Danish  authority 
were  left  to  pursue  their  work  in  a  degree  of  freedom 
although  under  constant  espionage. 

In  this  noble  compound  at  Serampore,  as  the  new 
century  opened,  William  Carey  was  not  found  working 
alone.  Following  his  arrival  in  Calcutta  in  1793,  he 
was  lost  to  sight.  For  seven  years  he  struggled  single- 
handed  in  the  pestilential  swamps  southeast  of  Calcutta 
as  farmer,  or  in  the  Malda  District  as  indigo-planter, 
all  the  while  studying  the  language  and  carrying  on 
evangelistic  labour  among  the  natives.  These  years  of 
his  one-man,  underground  work,  while  they  showed  no 
lasting  conversions  and  no  permanent  missionary  insti- 
tution, had  produced  a  native  school  and  a  parish  of 
two  hundred  native  villages.  Meanwhile  Carey  had 
translated  the  whole  Bible  into  Bengali.  From  this 
achievement,  he  had  hastened  with  all  a  scholar's  ardour 
into  the  mastery  of  Sanskrit,  which  he  styled  "a  most 
beautiful  language."  But  as  he  worked  on  alone,  hard- 
ening his  moral  muscle  in  his  Hindu  wilderness  for  the 
years  before  him,  Carey  could  scarcely  realise  the  fire 
kindled  in  England  by  his  letters.  In  quick  succession 
four  young  men  offered  themselves  to  go  out  as  his 
assistants.  Two  of  these  were  early  cut  off  by  death. 
William  Ward,  a  skilled  printer  and  editor,  with  whom 
Carey  had  made  acquaintance  before  leaving  England, 
and  Joshua  Marshman,  a  successful  teacher  in  a  Bristol 
school,  reached  India  in  safety  and  lived  to  carry  on 
the  work  begun  by  Carey  in  closest  bonds  of  fellowship 


83  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

with  him.     These  formed  the  immortal   ''Serampore 
Triad." 

But  even  before  the  day  of  telegraphy  news  travelled 
fast.  The  East  India  Company,  alarmed  at  the  rise  of 
a  missionary  movement,  begin  to  look  askance  at 
what  Carey  was  accomplishing  among  the  native  popu- 
lation. When  the  ship  on  which  Ward  and  Marshman 
were  passengers  anchored  in  the  Hugli,  opposite  Cal- 
cutta, late  in  the  year  1Y99,  the  authorities  were  on  the 
watch  and  forbade  them  to  land.  They  were  warned 
that  any  attempt  to  do  so  would  result  in  their  deporta- 
tion. 

But  it  chanced  that  one  director  of  the  Company, 
Charles  Grant,  was  a  staunch  friend  of  Carey's.  A  mes- 
sage from  him  to  the  anxious  men,  waiting  in  the  hostile 
harbour  for  some  sign  of  welcome,  was  received : 

"Do  not  land  at  Calcutta,  but  at  Serampore,  and 
there,  under  the  protection  of  the  Danish  flag,  arrange 
to  join  Mr.  Carey,"  the  message  read. 

In  two  small  boats  Ward  and  Marshman  were  quietly 
carried  up  the  river  fifteen  miles  and  landed  at  Seram- 
pore. 

When  the  Governor  of  Bengal  demanded  that  the  misr 
sionaries  be  sent  to  Calcutta  for  deportation,  the 
Danish  Governor,  Colonel  Bie,  flatly  refused.  Official 
protection  being  requisite,  it  was  at  Serampore  perforce 
that  the  new  comers  took  up  their  abode.  And  here  on 
January  10th,  1800,  William  Carey  joined  them. 

To  Fuller  with  characteristic  generosity  and  hu- 
mility, Carey  wrote  his  impressions  of  Marshman  and 
Ward. 

"Brother  Ward,"  he  said,  "is  the  very  man  we 
wanted;  he  enters  into  the  work  with  his  whole  soul. 


THE  WYCLIFFE  OF  THE  EAST  88 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  him,  and  expect  much  from 
him.  .  .  .  He  is  so  holy,  so  spiritual  a  man.  Brother 
Marshman  is  a  prodigy  of  diligence  and  prudence,  as  is 
also  his  wife.  Learning  the  language  is  mere  play  to 
him ;  he  has  already  acquired  as  much  as  I  did  in  double 
the  time.    Ho  is  a  true  missionary." 

First  impressions  were  more  than  confirmed  in  the 
intimacy  which  followed,  for  the  bond  of  brotherhood 
between  these  three  men  remained  unbroken  imtil  death, 
ideal  and  exemplar  for  all  time  to  come. 

The  "Form  of  Agreement"  by  which  the  mission 
household  was  guided  at  Serampore  is  classic,  a  marvel 
in  its  chivalrous,  sacrificial  and  apostolic  spirit. 

''This  week  we  have  adopted  a  set  of  rules  for  the 
government  of  the  family,"  wrote  Ward,  January  18th, 
1800.  "All  preach  and  pray  in  turn;  one  superintends 
the  affairs  of  the  family  for  a  month,  and  then  another. 
.  .  .  Saturday  evening  is  devoted  to  adjusting  differ- 
ences and  pledging  ourselves  to  love  one  another.  One 
of  our  resolutions  is  that  no  one  of  us  shall  engage  in 
private  trade ;  but  that  all  be  done  for  the  benefit  of  the 
mission." 

It  must  be  understood  that  the  mission  was  conducted 
on  the  principle  of  self-support,  as  far  as  it  was  posr 
sible.  It  has  been  calculated  that  from  first  to  last 
Carey's  personal  contributions  amounted  to  over 
£46,000,  while  from  the  Society  in  England  in  the  same 
period  remittances  did  not  total  £2,000.  But  Carey 
himself  died  so  poor  that  his  sons  inherited  only  the 
proceeds  from  the  sale  of  his  books,  a  total  of  £187  ilOs. 

Naturally  the  question  arises,  How  could  the  poor 
preaching-cobbler  of  Moulton,  who  there  sustained  his 
family  on  £16  a  year,  contribute  such  an  amount  ?  We 
shall  see.    Frugality  raised  to  the  nth  power  was  at  the 


34  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

bottom  of  it,  for  all  three,  we  may  be  sure.  Thus  the 
Marshmans  retained  of  all  they  could  earn  by  teaching, 
publishing,  etc.,  only  thirty  rupees  per  month;  Ward, 
twenty;  Carey,  for  himself  and  his  family,  fifty.  He 
needed  more  than  the  others,  with  a  family  of  four 
eons  and  a  helpless  wife.  Also  he  had  to  dress  better 
than  Marshman  and  Ward.  We  think  of  the  half- 
starved  workman  in  his  shoemaker's  apron  in  Moulton 
in  1789  and  wonder  why.  This,  too,  we  shall  soon 
understand. 

But  just  here  we  must  consider  the  Spiritual  Agree- 
ment, the  Preparatio  Evangelica  of  the  Serampore 
Triad.  Written  by  Ward  in  collaboration  with  his 
brethren,  it  has  been  well  described  as  the  "ripe  fruit 
of  Carey's  daily  toil  and  consecrated  genius."  It  thus 
concludes : 

"Let  us  often  look  at  Brainerd  in  the  woods  of 
America,  pouring  out  his  very  soul  before  God  for  the 
perishing  heathen.  .  .  .  Prayer,  secret,  fervent,  be- 
lieving prayer,  lies  at  the  root  of  all  personal  godliness. 
A  competent  knowledge  of  the  languages  current  where 
a  missionary  lives,  a  mild  and  winning  temper,  and  a 
heart  given  up  to  God  in  closest  religion,  these  are  the 
attainments  which  more  than  all  knowledge  or  all  other 
gifts,  will  fit  us  to  become  the  instruments  of  God  in 
the  great  work  of  human  redemption.  Finally,  let  us 
give  ourselves  unreservedly  to  this  glorious  cause.  Let 
us  never  think  that  our  time,  our  gifts,  our  strength,  our 
families,  or  even  the  clothes  we  wear  are  our  own.  Let 
us  sanctify  them  all  to  God  and  his  cause.  Oh,  that 
he  may  sanctify  us  for  his  work !  Let  us  forever  shut 
out  the  idea  of  laying  up  a  cowrie  (mite)  for  ourselves 
or  our  children.  If  we  give  up  the  resolution  which 
was  formed  on  the  subject  of  private  trade  when  we 


THE  WYCLIFFE  OF  THE  EAST  S5 

first  united  at  Serampore,  the  mission  is  from  that  hour 
a  lost  cause.  Let  us  continually  watch  against  a  worldly 
spirit,  and  cultivate  a  Christian  indifference  towards 
every  indulgence.  Rather  let  us  bear  hardness  as  good 
soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ.  No  private  family  ever  en- 
joyed a  greater  portion  of  happiness  than  we  have  done 
since  we  resolved  to  have  all  things  in  common." 

Surely  a  regimen  of  plain  living  and  high  thinking 
is  outlined  here.  And  in  this  atmosphere,  William 
Carey,  profoundly  satisfied  and  at  home,  spent  over 
thirty  prodigiously  productive  years.  Thorns  and 
briars  indeed  beset  his  way  in  the  first  ten  years,  for 
the  illiterate  woman  whom  he  had  married  in  his  youth, 
and  who  had  embittered  the  years  of  his  early  man- 
hood by  her  shrewish  temper,  had  now  become  a  hope- 
less monomaniac.  For  twenty-eight  years  of  married 
life  Carey  bore  this  burden  manfully,  caring  for  the 
miserable  woman  with  reverence  and  devotion.  "Never 
did  reproach  or  complaint  escape  his  lips  regarding  her." 
In  1807  the  stormy,  tortured  mind  found  rest  in  death. 

Released  from  that  bondage,  Carey  in  1808  won  for 
his  wife  a  woman  of  high  intellectual  gifts  and  spiritual 
s^Tnpathy.  Charlotte  Emilia,  the  only  child  of  the 
Chevalier  de  Rumohr,  a  Danish  nobleman,  had  settled 
in  Serampore  at  about  the  same  time  with  Carey  him- 
self. Her  constitution  having  been  impaired  by  an 
accident,  she  had  sought  the  climate  of  India  for  relief, 
and  had  built  a  houso  on  the  bank  of  the  Hugli  imme- 
diately below  the  mission  compound.  This  house  was 
destined  soon  to  be  made  over  to  the  mission  and  later 
to  become  famous  as  the  office  of  the  mission  publication, 
The  Friend  of  India.  The  barren  formalism  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  then  largely  given  over  to  rational- 
ism, had  produced  in  Lady  Rumohr  a  sceptical  attitude 


36  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

of  mind,  but  her  intercourse  with  the  Serampore  Triad 
transformed  her  into  an  earnest  student  of  the  Bible 
and  a  devoted  Christian. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Carey  to  the  Lady  Rumohr  is 
a  true  romance,  and  no  one  who  reads  his  story  can 
fail  to  be  gladdened  by  the  thought  of  their  thirteen 
years  of  unbroken  happiness,  their  perfect  spiritual  and 
intellectual  companionship. 

It  is  with  satisfaction  unalloyed  that  we  glance  over 
the  years  of  Carey's  maturity.  He  reached  India  in  his 
thirty-third  year  and  there  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy- 
three.  Amid  the  activities  and  companionships  which 
filled  his  life  full  to  the  brim,  we  may  catch  glimpses 
here  and  there. 

A  day's  routine  of  work  has  been  thus  described : 

Dr.  Carey  (his  degree  conferred  by  Brown  Uni- 
versity) rises  a  little  before  six,  reads  a  chapter  in  the 
Hebrew  Bible,  and  spends  the  time  till  seven  in  private 
devotion.  He  then  has  family  prayer  with  the  servants 
in  Bengali,  after  which  he  reads  Persian  with  a  munshi 
who  is  in  attendance.  As  soon  as  breakfast  is  over  he 
sits  down  to  the  translation  of  the  Bamayana  from  the 
Sanskrit  with  his  pundit  (he  exhausted  three  each  day) 
till  ten  when  he  proceeds  to  the  college  in  Calcutta  and 
attends  to  its  duties  till  two.  After  dinner  and  the 
examination  of  proof  sheets  from  the  Serampore  press, 
he  works  on  the  revision  of  his  Bengali  Bible  with  the 
aid  of  the  chief  Pundit  of  the  College.  At  six,  he  sits 
down  with  the  Telugu  Pundit,  to  the  study  of  that  lan- 
guage and  then  preaches  in  English  to  a  congregation 
of  about  fifty.  At  eleven  the  duties  of  the  day  are  closed 
and  after  reading  a  chapter  in  the  Greek  Testament  and 
commending  himself  to  God,  he  retires  to  rest. 

But  all  Dr.  Carey's  days  are  not  routine  days. 


THE  WYCLIFFE  OF  THE  EAST  37 

Lord  Wellesley,  them  Governor-General  of  India,  dis- 
gusted with  the  prevailing  ignorance  and  ineptitude  of 
the  English-bred  civil  and  military  Government  officials, 
had  now  created  in  Calcutta  the  College  of  Fort  Wil- 
liam, wherein  young  men  commissioned  for  these  posts 
could  be  educated  on  the  spot  in  a  way  suitable  to  the 
responsibilities  and  duties  of  their  position.  Being  a 
man  of  broad  vision,  Lord  Wellesley  decreed  that,  like 
the  missionary,  the  Government  officer  should  master 
the  language  of  the  people.  The  five  great  vernaculars 
of  India  were  therefore  inserted  in  the  curriculum. 
This  college  was  to  be  also  a  Centre  of  Western  learn- 
ing in  an  Eastern  dress  for  the  natives  of  India.  It  was 
housed  in  the  then  most  beautiful  modem  building  in 
Asia.    All  in  all  a  magnificent  project. 

"There  is  a  college  erected  at  Fort  William,"  wrote 
Dr.  Carey ;  "all  the  Eastern  languages  are  to  be  taught 
in  it."  Little  did  he  dream  then  that  he  himself  would 
soon  be  called  to  the  new  foundation,  first  as  "teacher," 
afterwards  as  "professor"  at  a  salary  of  five  hundred 
rupees  a  month. 

Amazing  to  himself,  suggestion  of  this  appointment! 
To  be  sure,  save  one,  he  is  the  only  scholar  of  the  gov- 
erning race  in  India  who  has  complete  mastery  of 
Sanskrit.  There  are  his  Sanskrit  grammar  and  dic- 
tionary, and  he  speaks  Sanskrit  fluently,  but  all  this 
he  takes  quite  as  matter  of  course.  The  one  drawback 
would  be  that  he  would  be  forced  to  dress  better  than, 
his  brothers,  but  on  the  other  hand,  how  much  more 
he  would  be  able  to  put  into  the  common  treasury  for 
extension  of  the  work !  And  so,  when  this  appointment 
is  made  officially  in  1801,  Dr.  Carey  consents,  albeit 
"with  fear  and  trembling,"  because  he  is  satisfied  that 
this   activity  will   further  the  cause  of  the  mission. 


38  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

dearest  his  heart.  "But,"  he  exclaims,  "I  wonder  how 
people  can  have  such  favourable  ideas  of  me." 

In  September,  1804,  the  scene  was  set  in  "the  south- 
em  room  on  the  marble  floor"  of  Government  House  in 
Calcutta  for  a  brilliant  event.  This  is  the  room  where 
through  succeeding  generations  the  royal  Viceroys  have 
stood  to  receive  princely  and  diplomatic  visitors  in 
state. 

The  seventy  students  then  enrolled  in  Fort  William 
College,  with  their  governors,  officers  and  professors, 
here  assembled  at  ten  o'clock,  the  twentieth  of  Septem- 
ber, rose  to  their  feet  as  His  Excellency  entered  the 
room,  accompanied  by  the  Honourable  the  Chief  Jus- 
tice, the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  members  of  the 
Supreme  Council,  and  a  brilliant  military  retinue. 
William  Carey  had  been  named  as  Moderator  of  the 
gathering.  After  various  learned  declamations  and 
disputations  had  manifested  the  scholarship  of  the  new 
institution,  he  was  called  upon  to  conclude  the  exercises 
with  a  speech  in  Sanskrit,  addressed  in  great  part  to 
Lord  Wellesley  himself.  This  was  the  first  publio 
speech  in  Sanskrit  ever  delivered  by  a  European. 

Upon  receiving  a  copy  of  this  address,  Wellesley  thus 
replied : 

"I  am  much  pleased  with  Mr.  Carey's  truly  original 
and  excellent  speech ;  I  would  not  wish  to  have  a  word 
altered.  I  esteem  such  a  testimony  from  such  a  man, 
a  greater  honour  than  the  applause  of  courts  and  par- 
liaments.   W." 

It  was  upon  this  occasion  (or  some  similar  notable 
gathering  at  Government  House)  that,  as  Carey  passed 
near  a  group  of  young  officers,  he  heard  the  remark 
from  one  of  them,  spoken  with  perplexed  emphasis, 

"But  was  not  Dr.  Carey  once  a  shoemaker  ?" 


THE  WYCLIFFE  OF  THE  EAST  sp 

Turning,  Carej  looked  with  amused  kindliness  at  tke 
speaker  and  said  quietly, 

"No,  sir,  not  a  shoemaker,  only  a  cobbler." 

Another  day  for  Carey.  Returning  from  Calcutta  he 
observed  along  the  banks  of  the  Hugli  the  funeral  rites 
of  a  man,  one  feature  of  which  was  the  burning,  with 
the  body  of  the  dead,  the  living  body  of  his  widow. 
With  all  his  might  Carey  sought  to  interfere  on  the 
spot  with  the  horrible  proceedings,  but  in  vain.  The 
shrieking,  struggling  woman  was  held  fast  by  bamboo 
poles  pressing  her  dov^oi  upon  the  flaming  funeral  pyre 
until  death  came  to  her  relief. 

Carey  returned  home  and  with  determined  but  sys- 
tematic energy,  sent  out  agents  in  all  directions  within 
a  circuit  of  twenty  miles  of  Calcutta,  from  village  to 
village,  to  collect  authentic  information.  They  returned 
with  the  report  that  within  those  villages  more  than 
three  hundred  widows  had  been  burned  within  six 
months.  Carey  embodied  the  results  of  his  investiga- 
tion in  a  memorial  which  he  presented  to  Lord  Welles- 
ley.  This  was  the  first  formulated  protest  against  suttee 
ever  placed  on  the  government  records  of  India.  Lord 
Wellesley,  favourable  to  reform  himself,  was  about  to 
retire  from  office.  ISTo  action  on  Carey's  memorial  was 
taken  by  his  successor  and  for  tweoty-five  years  the 
missionary  "waited  and  prayed  and  every  day  saw  the 
devilish  smoke  ascend  along  the  banks  of  the  Ganges." 
But  in  1829  it  became  Carey's  privilege  to  translate 
into  Bengali  the  decree  and  the  proclamation  forever 
ending  this  ceremonial  crime.  When  in  1829,  the  de- 
cree, passed  after  twenty-nine  years  of  waiting  and 
petitioning  on  his  part,  was  issued,  forbidding  suttee 
forever,  it  chanced  to  be  a  Sunday.  Carey  was  then 
the  Government  translator.     "ISio  church  for  me  to- 


40  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

day !"  he  exclaimed.  "A  day's  delay  may  cost  the  lives 
of  more  widows."  That  very  night  the  translation  of 
the  decree  was  in  the  printer's  hands. 

The  practice  of  immolation  of  girl  bahies  as  a  re- 
ligious rite  in  Hinduism  was  also  the  theme  of  a 
memorial  laid  before  Lord  Wellesley  in  1Y94  by  Wil- 
liam Carey.  In  this  case  his  labours  were  speedily  suc- 
cessful, a  law  being  promptly  passed  prohibiting  this 
form  of  human  sacrifice  under  severe  penalty. 

When  at  Cutwa  on  another  day,  Carey  witnessed  the 
burning  of  a  leper.    He  thus  describes  it : 

"A  pit  about  ten  cubits  in  depth  was  dug  and  a  fire 
placed  at  the  bottom  of  it.  The  poor  man  rolled  himself 
into  it;  but  instantly,  on  feeling  the  fire,  begged  to  be 
taken  out  and  struggled  hard  for  that  purpose.  His 
mother  and  sister,  however,  thrust  him  in  again;  and 
thus  a  man  who  to  all  appearance  might  have  survived 
several  years,  was  cruelly  burned  to  death.  I  find  that 
practice  is  not  uncommon  in  these  parts."  From  that 
day  Carey  laboured  untiringly  for  the  abolition  of  this 
atrocious  practice,  as  also  for  the  establishment  of  a 
leper  hospital  in  Calcutta.  There,  as  in  the  time  of 
the  Great  Physician,  it  can  be  said  that  the  leper 
was  cleansed  and  the  poor  had  the  Gospel  preached  to 
them. 

The  "Triologue"  of  the  British  Government,  the  oath 
administered  in  the  Punjab  by  Lord  Lawrence,  forms 
a  pungent  comment  on  the  beauties  of  Hinduism  left  to 
itself.    It  runs  thus: 

1.  Thou  shalt  not  burn  thy  widows. 

2.  Thou  shalt  not  kill  thy  daughters. 

3.  Thou  shalt  not  buey  alive  thy  lepees. 


THE  WYCLIFFE  OF  THE  EAST  41 

This  fruit  of  slow  growtli  was  accredited  to  the 
British  Administration.  But  the  seed  was  sown  hy 
William  Carey. 

Carey's  great  achievements  in  educational  work  and 
in  that  of  biblical  translation  are  familiar.  Suffice  it 
here  to  say  that  by  the  year  1818  the  mission  sustained 
126  vernacular  schools  with  10,000  pupils  under  ele- 
mentary training  and  Christian  nurture.  At  this  time 
the  plans  for  the  Serampore  College  were  definitely 
formed  to  be  carried  into  effect  two  years  later. 

In  1811  there  were  19  printing  presses  at  work  at 
Serampore,  sending  out  a  steady  stream  of  Biblical  and 
religious  literature.  In  all,  these  reached  40  different 
languages,  the  vernacular  tongues  of  330,000,000  peo- 
ple. In  30  years  Carey  and  his  colleagues  rendered  the 
"Word  of  God  accessible  to  one-third  of  the  world's 
population. 

The  Serampore  Mission  not  only  produced  the  partial 
or  complete  printed  translation  of  the  Bible  in  Asiatic 
vernaculars,  and  the  first  native  Christian  schools  of 
all  grades  and  for  both  sexes.  It  established  the  first 
printing  press  on  an  organised  scale,  the  first  paper  mill 
steam  engine  and  savings  bank  seen  in  India,  as  well 
as  the  first  attempt  at  medical  missions.  For,  as  a 
contemporary  described  it,  "Brother  Carey  gave  them 
medicine  for  their  bodies  and  the  best  medicine  for  their 
souls." 

But  no  philanthropic  or  scholastic  energies  could  take 
the  supreme  place  in  this  man's  mind.  This  was  kept 
with  loyalty  which  knew  no  shadow  of  turning  for  the 
initial  purpose  of  his  mission:  the  purpose  of  holding 
up  the  Cross  of  Christ  as  the  hope  of  the  world. 

In  1809  a  chapel  was  built  and  opened  in  Calcutta, 
in  Lall  Bazaar,  which  is  known  to-day  as  "Carey's  Bap- 


42  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

tist  Chapel."  He  and  his  colleagues,  "not  being  episco- 
pally  ordained,"  were  forbidden  to  preach  to  British 
eoldiers  and  to  Armenians  and  Portuguese,  but  there 
were  natives  a  plenty  to  fill  the  new  chapel. 

"Here  was  for  nearly  a  whole  generation  a  sublime 
spectacle — ^the  ISTorthampton  shoemaker  training  the 
governing  class  of  India  in  Sanskrit,  Bengali,  and 
Marathi  all  day,  and  translating  the  Ramayana  and  the 
Veda,  and  then  when  the  sun  went  down,  returning  to 
the  society  of  'the  maimed,  the  halt,  and  the  blind,  and 
many  with  the  leprosy,'  to  preach  in  several  tongues  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  Kingdom  to  the  heathen  of  England 
as  well  as  of  India,  and  all  with  a  loving  tenderness 
and  patient  humility  learned  in  the  childlike  school  of 
Him  who  said,  'Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my 
Father's  business  V  " 

By  1810  there  had  been  300  baptisms.  By  1815  Dr. 
Carey  had  himself  baptised  765  converts.  Before  his 
death  he  saw  26  native  churches  planted  in  India  and 
40  native  preachers  ministering  to  them. 

Dr.  Carey's  unworldliness  is  quaintly  expressed  on 
the  occasion  of  his  son  Felix  leaving  the  Mission  in 
Burma,  soon  after  the  arrival  there  of  Adoniram  Jud- 
son,  in  order  to  become  British  envoy  at  the  Burmese 
Court.  "Felix  is  shrivelled  from  a  Missi(mary  to  a/n 
Ambassador"  was  his  brief  and  rueful  comment. 


IV 

THE  CKOSS   OF  CHKIST  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF 
COMMONS 

1813 

[In  tlie  year  1812  the  East  India  Company  opened 
a  campaign  against  the  entrance  of  missionaries  into 
its  territory,  the  number  of  these  then  in  active  service 
in  Bengal  having  been  considerably  increased.  These 
additions  had  been  suffered  by  reason  of  a  certain 
leniency  on  the  part  of  the  officials  who,  since  the  an- 
nexation of  Serampore,  had  agreed  that  the  missionaries 
should  be  "tolerated  as  toads."  The  anti-missionary 
party  being  now  in  power,  they  were  again  to  be  "hunted 
like  beasts."  A  standing  order  for  deportation  of  all 
newly-arriving  missionaries  was  mercilessly  enforced. 

But  little  as  the  harassed  missionaries  at  Serampore 
could  foresee  it  in  that  dark  hour,  relief  was  at  hand. 
Christian  England  was  at  last  awake  and  had  found  a 
voice.  The  great  champion  of  the  oppressed,  William 
Wilberforce,  aroused  and  ready,  was  about  to  storm  the 
entranchments  of  organized  selfishness  and  prejudice. 

The  following  year  saw  the  great  debate  in  the  House 
of  Commons  on  the  policy  of  the  East  India  Company, 
the  renewal  of  whose  charter  was  then  pending.] 

Scene:  London.  The  House  of  Commons  of  the 
British  Parliament. 

Time:  Summer  of  1813. 

43 


44  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Subject  before  tbe  House:  The  Cbarter  of  tbe  East; 
India  Company  being  about  to  be  renewed,  the  whole 
question  of  Indian  Policy,  secular  and  religious,  comes 
under  discussion. 

*  Members  having  part  in  discussion :  Lord  Castlo- 
reagh,  Ministerial  Leader  of  the  House  of  Commons; 
Mr.  Charles  Marsh;  Sir  Henry  Montgomery;  Colonel 
Thomas  Munro;  Mr.  Prendergast;  William  Wilber- 
force;  Mr.  Charles  Grant. 

Lord  Castlereagh:  In  entering  upon  our  discussion 
of  the  future  policies  and  relations  of  India,  I  wish  to 
offer  my  tribute  to  the  admirable  conduct  of  affairs  by 
our  great  East  India  Company.  In  particular  I  would 
urge  that  the  local  authorities  must  be  left  in  posses- 
sion of  the  powers  they  have  always  enjoyed  of  expelling 
those  whose  conduct  may  be  considered  dangerous. 

Mr.  William  Wilberforce:  May  I  be  permitted  to 
express  my  regret  that  the  right  honourable  gentleman 
omits  mention  of  measures  relative  to  the  moral  and 
religious  improvement  of  India.  I  consider  the  object 
of  our  Christian  missionaries,  resident  in  India,  the 
greatest  of  all  causes,  for  I  really  place  it  before  the 
abolition  of  the  slave-trade,  over  which,  blessed  be  God, 
we  have  gained  the  victory.  I  move  the  insertion  in 
the  new  Charter  which  we  are  considering  of  the  fol- 
lowing : — 

*  ''It  is  the  duty  of  this  country  to  encourage  the  in- 
troduction of  useful  hnowledge  and  of  religious  and 
moral  enlightenment  into  India,  and  in  lawful  vxjuya  to 

*The  minor  historic  and  authentic  remarks  above  quoted  from 
the  debate,  are  here  attributed  to  those  whose  expressed  senti- 
ments make  such  attribution  wholly  appropriate.  The  utterance* 
of  Wilberforce  and  Grant  are  condensed  directly  from  their 
speeches. 

"Known  as  "the  pious  clause." 


THE  CROSS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  COMMONS      45 

afford  every  facility  to  such  persons  as  go  to  India  amd 
desire  to  remain  there  for  the  accomplishment  of  such 
henevolent  purposes." 

Mr.  Prendergast:  The  provision  proposed  by  Mr. 
Wilberforce  cannot  be  regarded  as  other  than  mis- 
chievous in  the  extreme,  threatening  as  it  must  the  ex- 
termination of  our  Eastern  Sovereignty.  It  has  been 
the  invariable  practice  of  our  Government  generally  to 
foster  and  protect  the  Hindu  religion.  But  now  India 
is  overspread  with  Baptist  missionaries,  Arminian  mis- 
sionaries, Calvinistic  missionaries !  I  do  not  know  who 
these  Baptist  missionaries  are,  exactly,  but  they  are  the 
most  ignorant  and  bigoted  of  men.  Their  head  is  a  Mr. 
William  Carey.  He  enjoys,  I  hear,  a  large  salary  from 
the  Company  for  some  reason  unknown  to  me,  but  he 
has  not  made  a  single  Mohammedan  convert  and  no 
Hindus  save  men  of  despicable  character.  It  is  time 
to  put  a  complete  end  to  this  interference  with  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Government. 

Sir  Henry  Montgomery:  Allow  me  to  add  to  what 
Mr.  Prendergast  has  said  my  own  observation  made  in 
India.  I  have  never  met  with  a  people  who  exhibited 
more  suavity  of  manners,  or  more  mildness  of  character 
than  the  Hindus,  or  a  happier  race  of  beings  when  left 
to  the  undisturbed  performance  of  the  rites  of  their 
religion. 

Colonel  Thomas  Munro:  The  sending  out  of  mis- 
sionaries into  our  Eastern  possessions  is  the  maddest, 
most  extravagant,  most  costly,  most  indefensible  project 
which  has  ever  been  suggested  by  a  moon-struck  fanatic. 
Such  a  scheme  strikes  against  all  reason  and  sound 
policy ;  it  brings  the  peace  and  safety  of  our  possessions 
into  peril. 

Mr.  Charles  Grant:    Gentlemen,  may  I  call  your  at- 


46  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

tention  to  the  table  yonder  ?  There  lie  the  unexainpled 
volume  of  petitions  with  which  Parliament  in  the  last 
eight  weeks  has  been  flooded.  They  have  streamed  in 
day  and  night  from  all  parts  of  the  Kingdom,  from 
cities  and  villages,  from  public  and  from  private  sources. 
Their  tenor  is  ever  the  same:  Do  not  permit  the  light 
of  Divine  truth  to  be  excluded  from  the  inhabitants  of 
India !     There  speaks  the  voice  of  Christian  England. 

Mr.  Charles  Marsh:  The  voice  I  hear  is  the  voice  of 
Fanaticism.  I  submit  that  if  the  time  has  come  that 
every  inspired  cobbler  or  fanatical  tailor  who  feels  an 
inward  call  has  a  kind  of  apostolic  right  to  assist  in 
laying  siege  to  the  edifice  of  the  Hindu  economy,  then 
the  rule  of  Great  Britain  in  India  is  doomed. 

Mr.  William  Wilherforce:  Let  no  man  think  that  the 
petitions  which  have  loaded  our  table  have  been  pro- 
duced by  a  burst  of  momentary  enthusiasm.  While  the 
sun  and  moon  continue  to  shine  in  the  firmament  so 
long  will  this  object  be  pursued  with  unabated  ardour 
until  the  great  work  be  accomplished. 

Mr.  Charles  Marsh:  Mr.  Speaker,  I  submit  that 
never  will  the  scheme  of  Hindu  conversion  be  realised 
unless  you  persuade  a  whole  population  to  suffer  martyr- 
dom in  the  cause  of  its  religion.  Shall  we  let  loose 
men  like  these  missionaries  upon  a  helpless  and  innocent 
people?  I  cannot  hear  without  horror  of  sending  our 
Baptist  tinkers  and  cobblers  to  convert  a  noble  and 
virtuous  race,  firmly  founded  on  lofty  principles  of 
religion  and  morality.  If  these  men  had  belonged  to 
the  Church  of  England,  one  might  have  borne  with 
them,  but  to  think  of  tolerating  Baptists — that  may  not 
be  borne!  ...  I  leave  it  to  the  House  to  determine 
whether  predestination  and  gin  would  be  a  compensation 


THE  CROSS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  COMMONS       47 

to  the  natives  of  India  for  the  changes  which  will  over- 
whelm their  habits,  morals  and  religion. 

Mr.  William  Wilberforce:  It  will  not,  I  trust,  be 
very  injurious  to  the  Serampore  missionaries  to  receive 
the  contemptuous  appellations  so  freely  bestowed  upon 
them  to-night.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  lived  too  long 
to  be  much  affected  by  such  epithets,  whether  applied  to 
others  or  to  myself.  But  I  should  have  conceived  that 
the  missionaries  would  have  been  shielded  against  such 
attacks  by  their  having  conceived  and  planned, — and  in 
the  face  of  much  opposition,  undertaken  and  carried 
on  at  a  vast  expense  of  time,  labour  and  money, — such 
dignified,  beneficial  and  disinterested  labours.  Anabap- 
tists and  fanatics?  These,  sir,  are  not  men  to  be  so 
disposed  of ! 

Mr.  Wilberforce  then  dwelt  at  length  (the  whole 
speech  consumed  three  hours)  on  the  unspeakable  degra- 
dation, cruelties  and  abominations  of  the  Hindu  system. 
These  Anabaptist  missionaries  (he  continued)  are 
entitled  to  our  highest  respect  and  admiration.  One  of 
them,  Dr.  Carey,  was  originally  in  one  of  the  lowest 
stations  of  society,  but  he  has  had  the  genius  as  well 
as  the  benevolence  to  devise  the  plan  of  forming  a 
Society  for  communicating  the  blessings  of  Christian 
light  to  the  natives  of  India.  He  has  applied  himself 
to  several  of  the  Oriental  tongues  and  especially  to  the 
Sanskrit,  in  which  his  proficiency  is  acknowledged  to 
be  greater  than  that  of  any  living  European.  All  this 
time,  sir,  he  is  indefatigably  labouring  as  a  missionary 
with  a  warmth  of  zeal  only  equalled  by  that  with  which 
he  prosecutes  his  literary  labours.  It  is  merit  of  a 
more  vulgar  sort,  but  it  may  appeal  to  those  who  are 
blind  to  the  moral  and  literary  excellence  of  the  Seram- 
pore Triad,  Messrs.  Carey,  Marshman  and  Ward,  that, 


48  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

acquiring  by  various  exercises  of  their  talents  from 
£1,000  to  £5,000  per  annum,  they  throw  the  whole  into 
the  common  stock  of  the  Mission.  I  cannot  but  recog- 
nise in  these  gentlemen  an  extraordinary  union  of  quali- 
ties : — ^zeal  combined  with  meekness,  love  with  sobriety, 
courage  and  energy  with  prudence  and  perseverance. 
When  to  these  can  be  superadded  splendid  munificence 
and  unfeigned  benevolence  and  their  whole  life's  devo- 
tion, are  these  men  not  justly  entitled  to  at  least  common 
respect  ?  I  can  only  myself  admire  that  eminence  which 
I  despair  myself  to  reach,  and  bow  before  such  exalted 
merit. 


Wilberforce,  thus  summoning  the  character  of  Carey 
and  his  colleagues  to  lend  power  to  his  argument, 
triumphed. 

On  the  division,  the  cause  of  Missions  was  supported 
in  the  British  Parliament  by  a  majority  of  22.  The 
Bill  sanctioning  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into 
India,— the  Magna  Charta  of  Indian  Missions, — ^was 
passed  on  the  13th  of  July,  1813,  at  3  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  after  an  all-night  sitting.  "1  am  persuaded," 
wrote  Wilberforce,  "that  we  have  laid  the  foundation- 
stone  of  the  grandest  edifice  that  was  ever  raised  in 
India." 

The  selfish  and  pagan  policies  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, panoplied  as  it  was  with  all  the  might  of  wealth, 
political  and  commercial  influence,  were  defeated  by 
the  invisible  moral  and  spiritual  power  of  three  humble 
Christian  missionaries  who,  for  13  years  alone  and  un- 
aided, had  fought  the  good  fight  for  the  Cross  of  Christ 
in  India.     With  the  year  1813  the  forward  march  of 


THE  CROSS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  COMMONS      49 

Missions  may  be  said  to  begin.  In  1896  a  learned 
Brahman,  Tahil  Gimja  Ram,  M.  R.  A.  S.,  declared 
publicly,  "Though  myself  a  staunch  Arya  Somajist  by 
religion,  yet  I  say  with  double  force  that  no  agency 
has  benefited  India  so  much  as  the  Christian  missionary 
societies.'^ 


V 

'1  CAN  PLOD" 

In  a  spacious  study  in  one  of  the  four  stone  dwelling- 
houses  of  the  Serampore  Mission  (described  by  a  young 
American  woman  as  "the  most  delightful  place  I  ever 
saw"),  we  see  Dr.  Carey,  now  a  man  of  fifty  odd,  bend- 
ing over  his  desk,  his  Hindu  munshi  beside  him.  The 
years  which  bring  the  philosophic  mind  have  refined  the 
man  from  his  early  gaucherie  into  a  personality  of  im- 
pressive nobleness  and  benignity;  have  given  him  the 
unmistakable  stamp  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  au- 
thority. He  is  not  only  the  scholar  but  the  gentleman. 
"A  gentleman,"  to  use  his  own  words,  "is  the  next  best 
character  after  a  Christian,  and  the  latter  includes  the 
former."    !No  doubt  the  two  are  united  in  this  man. 

The  clock  strikes  five,  and  the  missionary,  dismissing 
his  assistant,  hastens  with  all  the  ardour  of  a  boy  let 
loose  from  school  to  the  magnificent  Botanical  Garden, 
laid  out  and  kept  up  by  himself  at  the  rear  of  the  mis- 
sion houses.  This  had  even  then  become  one  of  the 
scientific  treasures  as  well  as  the  pride  of  Calcutta  and 
Serampore.  Here  Carey  enjoyed  his  one  pastime,  the 
nurture  of  trees  and  of  flowers. 

As  he  moved  now  from  one  flower-bed  to  another  his 
eye  caught  sight  of  an  unfamiliar  object  in  a  shady 
corner.  Bending  over,  he  studied  a  tiny  low-growing 
blossom,  then  straightened  himself,  an  expression  of 
delight  on  his  face.     At  the  moment  he  perceived  the 

50 


"I  CAN  PLOD"  51 

graceful  figure  of  his  wife,  coming  down  the  path  with 
letters  in  her  hand. 

"Ah,  Emilia,  make  haste,"  he  cried.  "See  what  a 
joyous  surprise  has  been  given  me." 

Ag  she  reached  the  spot  where  he  stood.  Dr.  Carey 
pointed  to  the  little  flower.  "Dost  thou  not  know  it, 
dearest  ?"  he  cried.  "That  is  a  wild-flower,  our  English 
daisy !  How  it  has  come  hither  I  can  only  guess.  The 
last  time  I  received  English  seeds,  I  remember  that  I 
shook  the  earth  from  the  bag  into  this  very  comer,  for 
fear  some  precious  seed  might  be  lost.  And  this  is  my 
reward." 

"Why,  William,  I  never  saw  thy  face  90  radiant  aa 
at  this  minute,"  commented  his  wife  with  tender  sym- 
pathy.   "Is  it  not  a  precious  posy !" 

"I  know  not  that  I  ever  enjoyed  since  leaving  home, 
save  from  thee,  a  pleasure  so  exquisite  as  the  sight  of 
this  daisy.  It  is  now  thirty  years  since  I  have  seen  this 
flower,  and  never  did  I  hope  to  see  it  again." 

Slipping  her  hand  silently  into  his  arm,  Mrs.  Carey 
led  her  husband  down  the  shaded  avenue,  its  trees 
planted  by  his  own  hand  and  known  as  "Carey's  Walk." 
There  a  rustic  seat  invited  them  to  rest,  protected  from 
the  tropical  sun. 

"The  post  is  in  I  see,  dear  wife,"  Carey  remarked, 
noting  her  unshed  tears  of  sympathy  in  his  discovery  of 
the  homely  English  flower.    "Letters  from  England  ?" 

"Yes,  from  England.  And  listen,  William.  I  shall 
make  thee  vain  at  last.  I  have  one  here  from  an  old 
friend  of  mine  whose  name  thou  wilt  hardly  remember. 
She  writes  that  800  guineas  have  been  offered  for  Dr. 
Carey's  portrait." 

"Will  that  go  to  the  cause  ?"  was  the  quick  rejoinder, 
as  he  opened  one  of  the  letters  addressed  to  himself. 


52  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

"Without  doubt,"  was  the  eager  reply.  Then  bend- 
ing, at  her  husband's  motion,  over  the  sheet,  a  letter 
from  Andrew  Fuller,  she  read  aloud, 

"Good  old  Mr.  Newton  says,  'Mr.  Carey  has  favoured 
me  with  a  letter,  which,  indeed,  I  accept  as  a  favour. 
My  heart  as  cordially  unites  with  him  as  though  I  were 
a  brother  Baptist  myself.  I  look  to  such  a  man  with 
reverence.  He  is  more  to  me  than  bishop  or  arch- 
bishop ;  he  is  an  apostle.  May  the  Lord  make  all  who 
undertake  missions  like-minded  with  Brother  Carey.'  " 

Gently  but  without  smiling  the  missionary  drew  the 
letter  away. 

"How  they  over-estimate  me,"  he  sighed  as  he  folded 
it.  There  was  no  tinge  of  gratified  self-consciousness 
in  his  gravely  musing  look.  "If,  when  I  am  gone,  any- 
one should  think  it  worth  while  to  write  my  life,  I  will 
give  thee  a  criterion  by  which  thou  mayest  judge  of  ita 
correctness.  If  he  gives  me  credit  for  being  a  plodder, 
he  will  describe  me  justly.  Anything  beyond  this  will 
be  too  much.    /  can  plod." 


One  of  the  high  lights  of  Dr.  Carey's  long  term  of 
Indian  service  consists  in  his  generous  encouragement 
of  young  missionaries  of  all  nations  and  communions. 
"We  think  all  the  missionaries  who  come  to  this  country 
belong  to  us,"  commented  Dr.  Marshman.  Among  many 
mention  can  be  made  here  of  but  two,  Henry  Martyn 
and  Alexander  Duff,  the  former  aptly  styled  "an 
Anglican  chaplain  with  the  soul  of  a  missionary,"  the 
latter  a  Scotch  Highlander  and  Presbyterian,  and  one 
of  the  Makers  of  modern  India. 

Henry  Martyn,  spiritual  godchild  of  Charles  Simeon, 


"I  CAN  PLOD"  53 

the  illustrious  evangelical  rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
Cambridge,  had  received  definite  impulse  toward  a  mis- 
sionary career  from  the  published  letters  of  William 
Carey.  Unable  to  receive  missionary  commission  from 
the  Church  of  England,  of  which  he  was  a  loyal  member, 
Martyn  arrived  in  Serampore  as  a  chaplain  of  the  East 
India  Company  and  took  up  his  abode  at  Aldeen  House, 
residence  of  the  Governor  General's  chaplain,  the  Rev. 
David  Brown,  across  the  river  from  the  Baptist  Mission. 

One  of  his  first  visits  on  landing  was  to  Dr.  Carey, 
who,  with  his  colleagues,  welcomed  with  ardour  the 
young  man  so  obviously  a  spiritual  genius.  Carey  thus 
alludes  to  the  incident:  "A  young  clergyman,  Mr. 
Martyn,  who  is  possessed  of  a  truly  missionary  spirit, 
has  come  to  Serampore.  He  lives  at  present  with  Mr. 
Brown,  and  as  the  image  or  shadow  of  bigotry  is  not 
known  among  us  here,  we  take  sweet  counsel  together, 
and  go  to  the  house  of  God  as  friends." 

When  Henry  Martyn  and  William  Carey  thus  estab- 
lished their  relation  of  Christian  fellowship  in  1806, 
the  latter  might  well  have  thought  of  Martyn,  "he  must 
increase,  but  I  must  decrease."  But  in  his  fervent 
labours  as  misionary  and  Bible  translator  in  Persia, 
Henry  Martyn's  strong  soul  "burnt  out"  his  frail  body 
quickly  "for  God,"  as  he  himself  had  asked  that  it 
might.  He  died  in  the  year  1812  while  Carey  lived 
and  laboured  on  until  1834. 


More  than  twenty  years  after  his  first  meeting  with 
Henry  Martyn,  Dr.  Carey  formed  a  friendship  with 
Alexander  Duff,  the  young  Scotch  Presbyterian  mis- 
sionary.    Carey  was  then  nearing  the  end  of  his  life. 


54  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

The  final  interview  between  these  two,  the  one  at  the 
entrance  to  his  labours,  the  other  at  the  close,  is  a 
touching  Hail  and  Farewell.    It  has  been  thus  recorded : 

"Among  those  who  visited  him  (Carey)  in  his  last 
illness  was  Alexander  Duff.  He  spent  some  time  in 
talking  chiefly  about  Carey's  missionary  life,  till  at 
length  the  dying  man  whispered,  'Pray.'  Duff  knelt 
and  prayed,  and  then  said  Good-bye.  As  he  passed  from 
the  room  a  feeble  voice  recalled  him.  Turning  back, 
this  is  what  he  heard,  spoken  with  gracious  solemnity : 

"  'Mr.  Duff,  you  have  been  speaking  about  "Dr. 
Carey,  Dr.  Carey."  When  I  am  gone,  say  nothing  about 
Dr.  Carey — speak  about  Dr.  Carey's  Saviour.'  Dr. 
Duff  went  away  rebuked  and  awed,  with  a  lesson  in  his 
heart  that  he  never  forgot." 

Carey's  very  last  work  was  to  revise  the  eighth  edition 
of  his  Bengali  ISTew  Testament.  As  he  corrected  the 
last  sheet,  he  said,  "My  work  is  done,  I  have  nothing 
more  to  do  but  to  wait  the  will  of  the  Lord." 

Christian  England  laughed  when  Sydney  Smith 
sneered  at  William  Carey  as  a  "consecrated  cobbler," 
going  on  a  fool's  errand  to  convert  the  heathen.  Carey 
died,  aged  73  years.  He  was  visited  on  his  death-bed 
by  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  head  of  the  Church  of 
England  in  Bengal,  who  bowed  his  head  and  invoked 
the  blessing  of  the  dying  missionary.  His  most  fre- 
quent visitor  was  Lady  Bentinck,  wife  of  the  Governor- 
General.  "From  her  frequent  converse  with  William 
Carey,  in  earlier  time  as  well  as  now,  she  studied  the 
art  of  dying."  The  British  authorities  had  denied  to 
Carey  a  landing-place  on  his  first  arrival  in  Bengal; 
but  when  he  died,  the  Government  dropped  all  its  flags 
to  half-mast  in  honour  of  a  man  who  had  done  more  for 
India  than  any  of  their  generals. 


"I  CAN  PLOD"  55 

To  love ;  to  serve ;  to  sacrifice ;  to  bear  ©very  burden, 
every  insult  and  ignominy  without  complaint  or  retalia- 
tion; to  devote  every  power,  whether  of  body,  mind  or 
heart  to  the  good  of  others;  through  a  long  life  never 
to  swerve  from  a  high  initial  purpose;  to  live  always 
humbly  yet  always  on  a  lofty  plane  of  human  endeavour, 
this  constitutes  the  character  of  the  Apostle  who  said, 
To  me  to  live  is  Christ. 


VI 

WHAT  MEN  SAID  OF  CAREY 

In  the  year  1807,  in  answer  to  the  fleers  of  the  Rev. 
Sydney  Smith,  Robert  Southey  wrote  in  the  Quarterly 
Review  a  gallant  defence  of  the  Serampore  Missionaries, 
concluding  as  follows : 

"The  anti-missionaries  call  them  fools,  madmen, 
tinkers,  Calvinists,  and  schismatics,  and  keep  out  of 
sight  their  love  of  men  and  their  zeal  for  God,  and  their 
self-devotedness,  their  indefatigable  industry,  their  un- 
equalled learning.  These  'low-born  and  low-bred 
mechanics'  have  translated  the  whole  Bible  into  Bengali, 
and  have  by  this  time  printed  it.  They  are  printing  the 
New  Testament  in  the  Sanskrit,  Orissa,  Mahratta,  the 
Hindustanee,  the  Guzerattee,  and  translating  it  into 
Persic,  Telinga,  Camata,  Chinese,  the  language  of  the 
Sikhs  and  the  Burmese.  Extraordinary  as  this  is,  it 
will  appear  still  more  so  when  it  is  remembered  that 
of  these  men  one  was  originally  a  shoemaker,  another 
a  printer  at  Hull,  and  the  third  the  master  of  a  charity 
school  at  Bristol.  Only  fourteen  years  have  elapsed 
since  Thomas  and  Carey  set  foot  in  India,  and  in  that 
time  these  missionaries  have  acquired  this  gift  of 
tongues.  In  fourteen  years  these  'low-bom,  low-bred 
mechanics'  have  done  more  to  spread  the  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures  among  the  heathen  than  has  been  accom- 
plished or  even  attempted  by  all  the  world  beside." 

56 


WHAT  MEN  SAID  OF  CAREY  57 

"I  do  not  know  a  finer  instance  of  tlie  moral  sublimei 
than  that  a  poor  cobbler  working  in  his  stall  should 
conceive  of  converting  the  Hindus  to  Christianity;  yet 
such  was  Dr.  Carey.  Why,  Milton's  planning  his 
Paradise  Lost  in  his  old  age  and  blindness  was  nothing 
to  it!  And  then  when  he  had  gone  to  India  and  was 
appointed  by  Lord  Wellesley  to  a  lucrative  and  honour- 
able station  in  the  College  of  Fort  William,  with  equal 
nobleness  of  mind  he  made  over  all  his  salary  (between 
£1,000  and  £1,500  per  annum)  to  the  general  objects 
of  the  mission.  By  the  way,  nothing  ever  gave  me  a 
more  lively  sense  of  the  low  and  mercenary  standard  of 
your  men  of  honour,  than  the  manifest  effect  produced 
upon  the  House  of  Commons  by  my  stating  this  last 
circumstance.  It  seemed  to  be  the  only  thing  which 
moved  theon." 

William  Wilbeefoece. 

"By  his  own  grammar  and  dictionary  Dr.  Carey  may 
claim  the  merit  of  having  raised  the  Bengali  tongue 
from  the  condition  of  a  rude  and  unsettled  dialect  to  the 
character  of  a  regular  and  permanent  form  of  speech. 
His  dictionary  must  ever  be  regarded  as  a  standard 
authority.  When  Mr.  Carey  commenced  his  lectures 
there  were  scarce  any  but  viva  voce  means  of  communi- 
cating instruction.  There  were  no  printed  books. 
Manuscripts  were  rare  and  unsuited  for  class-books.  It 
was  necessary  therefore  to  prepare  works  that  should 
be  available  for  this  purpose;  and  so  assiduously  and 
zealously  did  Dr.  Carey  apply  himself  to  this  object, 
that,  either  by  his  own  exertions  or  those  of  others  which 
he  instigated  and  superintended,  he  left  not  only  the 
students  of  language  well  provided  with  elementary 
books,  but  supplied  standard  compositions  to  the  natives 


58  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

of  Bengal,   and   laid   the  foundation   of  a   cultivated 
tongue  and  flourishing  literature  throughout  the  coun- 
try." 
^  H.  H.  Wilson, 

Boden  Professor  of  Sanskrit  in  the 
University  of  Oxford.    1836. 

Bishop  Mylne  of  Bombay  has  thus  defined  Carey'a 
work: 

"The  one  grand  merit  of  Carey,  without  which  his 
marvellous  qualities  had  been  lost  like  those  of  his  prede« 
cessors,  was  that  he,  with  the  intuition  of  genius,  set  to 
work  instinctively  from  the  first  on  the  lines  of  the  cory- 
centrated  mission.  A  few  really  Christianised  people, 
with  the  means  of  future  extension — this  he  seems  to 
have  set  before  him  as  his  object.  He  left  no  great  body 
of  converts,  but  he  laid  a  solid  foundation,  to  be  built  on 
by  those  who  should  succeed  him.  I  should  hardly  be 
saying  too  much  did  I  lay  down  that  subsequent  missions 
have  proved  to  be  successful  or  the  opposite,  in  a  pro- 
portion fairly  exact  to  their  adoption  of  Carey'a 
methods." 

"As  the  Founder  and  Father  of  Modem  Missions,  the 
character  and  career  of  William  Carey  are  being  re- 
vealed every  year  in  the  progress  and  purity  of  the 
expansion  of  the  Church  and  of  the  English-speaking 
races  in  the  two-thirds  of  the  world  which  are  still  out- 
side of  Christendom.  The  £13:2s:6d  of  Kettering 
became  £400,000  before  he  died,  and  is  now  £5,000,000 
a  year.  The  one  ordained  English  missionary  is  now  a 
band  of  20,000  men  and  women  sent  out  by  558  agencies 
of  the  Reformed  Churches.     The  solitary  converts  are 


WHAT  MEN  SAID  OF  CAREY  59' 

now  5,000,000,  of  whom  80,000  are  missionaries  to  their 
own  countrymen,  and  many  are  leaders  of  the  native 
communities.  Since  the  first  edition  of  the  Bengali 
New  Testament  appeared  at  the  opening  of  the  (19th) 
century  250,000,000  of  copies  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
have  been  printed,  of  which  one-half  are  in  3Y0  of  the 
non-English  tongues  of  the  world.  The  Bengali  School 
of  Mudnabati,  the  Christian  College  of  Serampore,  have 
set  in  motion  educational  forces  that  are  bringing 
nations  to  the  birth,  are  passing  under  Bible  instruction 
every  day  more  than  a  million  boys  and  girls,  young 
men  and  maidens  of  the  dark  races  of  mankind." 

Geoege  Smith. 


Part  Two:   THE  VANGUARD 


"Christian  Missions  constitute  a  power  whicli  escapes 
man's  intelligence  and  analysis;  they  are  the  continuation 
of  the  Apostles'  work,  and  apart  from  the  subtleties  of 
theology,  they  avail  to  bring  us  back  to  the  True  Faith." 

Captain  Bertrand  of  Geneva. 

*T[  say  the  whole  earth  and  all  the  stars  in  the  sky  are  for 
religion's  sake." 

Whitman. 

"Although,  of  the  missionaries,  many  are  men  of  great 
talent  which  would  have  won  them  distinction  in  the  walks 
of  secular  life,  they  are  nevertheless  found  living  on  the 
barest  modicum  of  salary  on  which  an  educated  man  can 
subsist,  without  hope  of  honour  or  of  future  reward.  They 
do  this  from  loyalty  to  the  Master  whom  they  serve  and 
love." 

Sir  Richard  Temple. 

"If  twelve  of  these  men  would  hold  together  for  ten  years, 
the  whole  aspect  of  the  world  would  be  changed ; — and  twelve 
men  did  once  hold  together,  and  the  face  of  the  world  was 
changed."  E.  Burne  Jones. 

"We  spur  to  a  land  of  no  name,  out-racing  the  storm- wind; 
We  leap  to  the  infinite  dark,  like  sparks  from  the  anvil. 
Thou  leadest,  O  Godl     All's  well  with  Thy  troopers  that 
follow." 

Louise  Guiney. 


I 

THE  AROUSAL 

It  was  only  after  a  blank  of  fourteen  months  (in 
which  William  Carey  and  his  companions  seemed  to 
"have  disappeared  forever"),  that  letters  were  received 
in  England  from  the  intrepid  pioneer  Missionary.  It 
should  never  be  forgotten  that  the  triumvirate  at  home, 
Fuller,  Sutcliff  and  Eyland,  as  they  waited  and  watched 
for  tidings,  stood  in  a  position  hardly  less  responsible, 
perhaps  no  less  difficult  than  his  own. 

The  work  of  organisation  and  maintenance,  though 
less  captivating  to  the  imagination  than  work  on  the 
field,  is  not  a  whit  less  essential.  The  task  of  these 
men  at  home  was  no  light  one.  In  connection  with  the 
difficulty  of  relegating  any  part  of  his  responsibility 
to  others  Andrew  Fuller  said: 

"Friends  talk  to  me  about  coadjutors  and  assistants, 
but,  I  know  not  how  it  is,  T  find  a  difficulty.  Our  under- 
taking to  India  really  appeared  to  me,  on  its  commence- 
ment, to  be  somewhat  like  a  few  men  deliberating  about 
the  importance  of  penetrating  into  a  deep  mine,  which 
had  never  before  been  explored.  We  had  no  one  to 
guide  us,  and,  while  we  were  thus  deliberating,  Carey, 
as  it  were,  said,  'Well,  I  will  go  down  if  you  will  hold 
the  rope.'  But  before  he  went  down,  he,  as  it  seemed 
to  me,  took  an  oath  from  each  of  us  at  the  mouth  of  the 
pit  to  the  effect  that,  while  we  lived,  we  should  never 
let  go  the  rope." 

63 


64  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

An  anecdote  of  interest  and  significance  has  come 
down  to  us  in  the  quaint  phraseology  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

"On  a  certain  occasion,"  so  the  story  runs,  "Mr. 
Fuller  called  on  a  pious  and  benevolent  nobleman,  who, 
though  a  churchman,  was  friendly  to  Dissenters  and 
was  generous  in  his  charitable  contributions.  Having 
laid  before  him  the  operations  of  the  Mission,  his  Lord- 
ship handed  him  a  guinea.  Mr.  Fuller,  observing  that 
it  was  given  with  an  air  of  indifference,  asked, 

"  'My  Lord,  does  this  come  from  the  heart.  ?' 

"  'What  matter  is  that  V  inquired  the  nobleman.  'Sup- 
pose it  does  not  come  from  the  heart;  it  may  answer 
your  purpose  as  well.  If  you  get  the  money,  why  should 
you  care  whether  it  comes  from  the  heart  or  not  V 

"  'Take  it  back,'  said  the  man  of  God.  'I  cannot  take 
it.    My  Lord  and  Master  requires  the  heart.' 

"  'Well,  give  it  me  back,'  said  the  nobleman,  'it  did 
not  come  from  the  heart.' 

"He  took  the  guinea,  then  stepped  to  his  desk  and 
drew  a  check  for  twenty  pounds.  Handing  this  to  Mr. 
Fuller,  he  said, 

"  'This  comes  from  the  heart.  I  know  the  principles 
by  which  you  are  governed.  I  love  the  Lord  Jesus  and 
his  cause.  I  know  that  no  offering  is  acceptable  to  him 
unless  it  comes  from  the  heart,'  " 

These  three  men,  Fuller,  Ryland  and  Sutcliff,  who 
formed  the  first  Missionary  Board  in  the  history  of 
Modem  Missions,  were  giants  in  their  day,  "mighty  men 
of  old,  men  of  renown."  Of  Fuller,  untiring  in  his 
gratuitous  service  of  continual  journeying  in  Scotland, 
Ireland,  Wales  and  England,  north  and  south,  to  arouse 
interest  and  collect  contributions  for  "our  East  Indian 
Hission,"  it  has  been  said,  he  "was  not  only  the  first  of 


THE  AROUSAL  65 

I 

Foreign  Missionary  Secretaries;  lie  was  a  model  for 
all."  Ryland  was  the  Christian  scholar,  the  profound 
theologian,  spiritual  guide  rather  than  executive.  Sut- 
cliff's  talents  have  been  defined  as  "more  useful  than 
splendid,"  but  his  sound  judgment  and  common  sense 
cut  many  a  Gordian  knot  in  those  early  experimental 
years.  On  one  occasion  when  Fuller  was  urging  the 
necessity  of  calling  the  Committee  together  for  con- 
ference, Sutcliff  exclaimed, 

"Call  a  committee  meeting  ?  Why,  the  matte-r  is  self- 
evident  !  If  you  do  call  one,  appoint  some  place  on  the 
turnpike  road,  at  such  a  mile-stone ;  fix  the  hour  and 
minute.  Let  us  meet,  and  set  our  horses'  heads  to- 
gether, pass  a  vote,  and  separate  in  two  minutes." 

It  was  on  the  29th  of  July,  1Y94,  that  Andrew  Fuller, 
Dr.  Ryland  and  others  were  at  length  rewarded  by  let- 
ters describing  Carey's  voyage,  his  first  impressions  of 
India  and  the  outlook  for  his  work. 

These  letters  acted  upon  Christian  England  like  an 
electric  spark.  They  kindled  a  fire  which  by  the  grace 
of  God  (to  use  Latimer's  words)  shall  never  be  put  out. 
Well  might  Fuller  write  to  Carey,  as  he  did  not  long 
after, 

"The  eyes  of  the  religious  world  are  upon  you.  Your 
undertaking  has  provoked  many.  The  Spirit  of  Mis- 
sions has  gone  forth.  I  wish  it  may  never  stop  till  the 
Gospel  is  sent  into  all  the  world." 

Dr.  Ryland  in  Bristol  had  no  sooner  read  his  Indian 
letter  than  he  sent  out  messengers  to  two  brother  minis- 
ters of  other  communions  than  his  own.  Dr.  Bogue  and 
Mr.  Stephen,  asking  them  to  come  in  and  rejoice  with 
him.  After  an  hour  of  praj^er  and  thanksgiving,  these 
gentlemen  called  on  Mr.  Hey,  another  eminent  Bristol 
pastor,  and  in  conference  together  decided  that  immedi- 


66  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

ate  steps  must  be  taken  to  form  a  second  missionary 
organisation.  This  Society  must  serve  the  churches  out- 
side the  Baptist  fold,  it  being  already  furnished  with 
its  own.  As  a  result  the  London  Missionary  Society 
(L.  M.  S.)  was  formed  September  21st,  1Y95.  A  min- 
ister of  the  Church  of  England,  the  Rev.  T.  Haweis, 
oo-operated  with  enthusiastic  energy,  to  promote  this 
event.  Sectarian  distinctions  melted  in  the  glow  of 
those  first  fires. 

In  its  origin  the  London  Missionary  Society  was  ex- 
pected to  cover  all  denominations.  "The  design  is  not 
to  send  Presbyterianism,  Independency,  Episcopacy,  or 
any  other  form  of  church  order  and  government,  .  .  . 
but  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God  to  the 
heathen."  Thus  reads  its  constitution.  In  process  of 
time,  however,  this  Society  has  come  to  represent  more 
especially  the  Independents, — the  Anglicans,  Metho- 
dists and  others  forming  separate  organisations. 

On  that  September  evening  when  Christians  of  all 
denominations  met  in  a  spirit  of  fervent  devotion  at  the 
Tabernacle  in  Tottenham  Court  Road  to  adopt  this  con- 
stitution, Dr.  Bogue  preached  a  powerful  sermon.  In 
the  course  of  it  he  said,  "We  are  called  together  for  the 
funeral  of  bigotry,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  buried  so  deep 
as  never  to  rise  again."  Fulfilment  of  this  hope  remains 
outstanding,  but  it  is  in  sight. 

The  divine  fire  spread  next  to  Scotland.  In  1Y96  the 
Glasgow  and  the  Scottish  Societies  were  called  into  be- 
ing, both  supported  by  Christians  of  all  denominations. 
In  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  Church  of  Scot- 
land held  in  1796,  however,  strong  opposition  was  met. 
The  sense  of  the  meeting  seemed  to  be  not  only  that  a 
collection  for  missions  "could  be  with  no  doubt  a  legal 
subject  of  penal  prosecution,"  but  that  the  very  idea 


THE  AROUSAL  67 

of  spreading  abroad  "the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
amongst  barbarous  and  heathen  nations  seems  to  be 
highly  preposterous." 

Upon  this  the  aged  Dr.  Erskine  arose  and  called  to 
the  Moderator,  "Kax  me  that  Bible."  This  being  done 
he  read  aloud  from  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of 
Matthew  the  words  of  the  Great  Commission.  The 
effect  was  prodigious,  but  the  missionary  spirit  did  not 
permanently  triumph  in  the  formation  of  a  Missionary 
Society  in  this  body  for  thirty  years. 

The  great  names  of  master-builders  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions in  Scotland  are  those  of  Robert  and  James  Hal- 
dane,  retired  army  officers,  gentlemen  of  wealth  and 
distinction,  who  became  so  filled  with  the  prevailing 
enthusiasm  that  they  planned  a  vast  mission  to  Bengal, 
to  be  supported  by  themselves.  This  purpose  being 
defeated  by  the  East  India  Company,  the  Haldanes  de- 
voted their  lives  and  fortune  to  what  they  were  led  to 
believe  was  as  necessary  as  labour  abroad,  i.e.,  the 
propagation  of  the  missionary  idea  at  home.  In  twelve 
years  the  sum  of  £70,000  was  spent  by  them  in  this 
endeavour.  A  notable  work  of  evangelising  devotion 
was  initiated  and  sustained  by  the  Haldanes  in  France. 
Frederic  Monod  says,  "The  name  of  Robert  Haldane 
stands  inseparably  connected  with  the  dawn  of  the 
Gospel  on  the  continent  of  Europe  (after  its  eclipse  in 
the  period  of  the  French  Revolution).  The  work  he 
began  in  1817  has  been  advancing  ever  since."  From 
this  work  sprang  the  Paris  Evangelical  Missionary  So- 
ciety in  1822. 

On  April  12th,  1797,  twenty-six  men,  members  of 
the  Church  of  England,  came  together  to  confer  on 
organisation,  and  two  years  later  was  founded  what  we 
now  know  as  the  Church  Missionary  Society  (CM.  S.), 


68  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

originally  tlie  ''^Society  for  Missions  to  Africa  and  tlie 
East."  The  leading  spirits  in  this  movement  were 
Charles  Simeon  of  Cambridge  and  William  Wilberforce. 

But  what  has  been  variously  called  the  "divine  fire" 
or  the  "sacred  enthusiasm"  was  not  confined  to  Great 
Britain  or  to  British  Christians.  In  the  ISTetherlands, 
Vanderkemp,  a  famous  scholar,  soldier  and  physician, 
once  a  sceptic  but  brought  into  fellowship  with  Christ 
by  bereavement,  offered  himself  as  a  missionary  al- 
though past  fifty  years  of  age,  and  was  sent  to  South 
Africa  by  the  London  Missionary  Society  in  1798. 
Vanderkemp  was  instrumental  in  founding  the  ISTether- 
lands Missionary  Society  in  1Y97.  During  twelve  years 
in  South  Africa  he  rendered  noble  service  as  a  pioneer 
missionary. 

English  Wesleyan  Methodists,  through  their  great 
pioneer.  Dr.  Coke,  had  begun  Christian  work  in  distant 
countries  for  British  Colonists  as  early  as  1744.  The 
Anglican  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
(S.  P.  G.)  had  done  the  same  since  the  year  1701.  In 
1804,  upon  Dr.  Coke's  departure  for  ISTova  Scotia,  the 
care  of  his  mission  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  com- 
mittee of  three.  The  first  distinctively  foreign  mission 
undertaken  by  this  body,  that  to  Ceylon  under  Dr.  Coke, 
was  in  the  year  1813,  from  which  it  is  customary  to 
date  the  origin  of  this  Society. 

Already  the  new  and  Pentecostal  flame  had  appeared 
across  the  Atlantic. 

When,  in  1810,  at  the  Andover  Theological  Seminary, 
the  "haystack"  missionary  heroes, — ^IVIills,  Richards, 
Rice  and  Hall, — met  Adoniram  Judson,  a  memorial 
was  drawn  up  signed  by  him  and  three  others  "desirous 
of  personally  attempting  a  mission  to  the  heathen," 
asking  the  General  Association  of  Massachusetts  (Con- 


TPIE  AROUSAL  69 

gregational)  "wlietlier  they  might  expect  patronage  and 
support  from  a  missionary  society  in  this  country,  or 
must  commit  themselves  to  the  direction  of  an  European 
Society."  The  motto  of  the  signatories  was  "Foreign 
Missions  and  Missions  for  Life."  Their  devotion 
proved  irresistibla  The  result  of  this  appeal  was  the 
formation  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions,  in  1812  (A.  B.  C.  F.  M.).  The 
American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  (A.  B.  M.  U.), 
organised  two  years  later,  sprang  from  the  same  root. 
Once  more,  as  in  1792,  in  the  case  of  William  Carey, 
the  Society  was  called  into  being  by  the  candidate.  For 
it  was  Judson  and  his  fellow  missionaries  who  con- 
strained the  Church  to  issue  the  call. 

In  1804,  in  close  relation  to  the  demands  of  the  new 
missionary  organisations,  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society  was  organised.  At  a  meeting  convened  in  the 
London  Tavern  on  March  7th,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Charles 
told  a  moving  story  of  a  young  Welsh  girl,  Mary  Jones, 
who  loved  the  Welsh  Bible  but  could  find  no  copy  to 
read  without  a  two-mile  walk  to  the  house  of  a  friend 
so  favoured  as  to  own  one.  Having  saved  her  pennies, 
she  at  last  started  on  a  twenty-eight-mile  walk  to  Bala, 
the  nearest  place  where  Bibles  were  sold.  On  her 
arrival  there  Mr.  Charles,  who  had  charge  of  the  sales, 
was  obliged  to  tell  her  that  he  had  not  a  single  copy 
then  at  his  disposal.  Her  grief,  and  the  thought  of  her 
gallant  effort,  moved  Mr.  Charles  to  supply  her  need 
from  a  private  source. 

After  listening  to  this  recital  a  Baptist  minister,  in 
response  to  an  appeal  for  publication  of  a  new  edition 
of  the  Welsh  Bible,  exclaimed: 

"Surely  a  Society  might  be  formed  for  the  purpose ! 


70  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

But  if  for  Wales,  why  not  for  the  Kingdom  ?  Why  not 
for  the  World?" 

From  that  hour  the  organisation  for  a  world-wide 
Bible  Society  was  assured.  This  body,  known  as 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible*  Society,  during  the 
Great  War  distributed  seven  million  Bibles,  Testaments 
and  portions,  not  only  among  British  and  Allied  troops, 
but  also  among  the  ranks  of  their  inveterate  foes. 

It  would  be  tedious  and  unnecessary  to  enumerate  the 
missionary  and  kindred  organisations  formed  since  the 
mighty  initial  impulse  aroused  the  Church  from  its  long 
lethargy.  These  mentioned  come  approximately  within 
two  decades  from  1792,  the  Annus  Mirahilis  which  saw 
the  birth  of  Modern  Missions.  The  rest  follow,  soon 
or  late,  but  all  cherish  the  one  aim:  To  seek  and  to 
save  that  which  was  lost. 


n 

APOSTLES  TO  INDIA 

We  are  considering  first  things,  the  first  st^ps  towards 
marshalling  the  churches  of  Protestant  Christendom  for 
their  great  Crusade ;  the  advance  guard  of  the  mission- 
ary army  itself.  In  this  company  as  here  presented 
will  be  found  only  the  few  essentially  entitled  to  the 
name,  Apostles.  In  the  main  these  are  the  pioneers  of 
the  early  nineteenth  century. 

India  remains  to  this  day  a  land  of  paradox  and 
mystery,  learned  but  uneducated.  While  highly  meta- 
physical in  religious  theory,  it  is  grossly  idolatrous 
in  practice  so  far  as  Hinduism  obtains;  in  so  far  as 
Islam  prevails  (which  is  over  sixty  millions  of  the 
population),  intolerant,  defiant,  corrupt  at  the  core. 
Whichever  religion  we  consider  we  find  it  divorced  from 
morality.  "The  most  popular  god  in  India  is  the  god 
of  lust ;  the  next  is  the  god  of  devilry ;  and  the  third  is 
the  god  of  cruelty." 

Caste  is  probably  the  most  inveterate  foe  of  demoo- 
racy,  as  it  is  the  most  cruel  social  tyranny  known  to  the 
human  race.  Caste  determines  everything  in  Hindu 
life  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  Nowhere  are  women 
held  in  greater  contempt  and  in  so  great  seclusion  as  in 
India,  whether  Hindu  or  Moslem. 

Such  are  certain  of  the  conditions,  social  and  re- 
ligious, into  which  our  modem  missionary  pioneers  first 
made  their  way.  India  is  the  classic  land  of  foreign 
missions. 

71 


72  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

"We  have  already  before  us  an  outline  of  the  first 
English  Protestant  apostles  of  India, — Carey,  Marsh- 
man  and  Ward;  glimpses  also  have  been  caught  of 
Henry  Martyn  and  Alexander  Duff.  Concerning  the 
achievements  of  these  two  men  a  few  words  are  neces- 
sary at  this  point. 

Henry  Martyn's  life  in  India  covered  but  five  years ; 
a  year  in  Persia  completed  the  measure  of  his  brief  but 
glorious  life,  l^ot  for  an  hour  did  he  content  himself 
with  the  work  of  chaplain,  in  which  capacity  he  came, 
perforce,  to  India.  He  was  the  missionary,  the  evan- 
gelist, first  of  all  at  heart,  but  by  his  rare  scholarly 
attainments  and  intellectual  power  he  was  par  excellence 
the  student  and  translator  also. 

"Carey's  great  translation  scheme  captivated  his 
imagination."  He  thre^'^  himself  with  consuming  pas- 
sion into  the  task  inspired  by  Carey  to  which  he  set 
himself — that  of  translating  the  Bible  into  Hindustani, 
Persian  and  Arabic.  This  was  a  Herculean  task  for  a 
man's  lifetime,  yet  in  his  six  short  years  in  the  Orient 
Henry  Martyn  had  completed  a  translation  of  the  New 
Testament  into  all  three  languages. 

Meanwhile,  in  his  work  as  an  evangelist,  he  at  first 
addressed  himself  hopefully  to  the  Hindus  in  Calcutta, 
but  he  found  their  defensive  all  but  invulnerable.  "How 
shall  it  ever  be  possible  to  convince  a  Hindu  or  Brah- 
man of  anything  ?"  he  exclaimed.  "Truly  if  ever  I  see 
a  Hindu  a  real  believer  in  Jesus,  I  shall  see  something 
more  nearly  approaching  the  resurrection  of  a  dead 
body  than  anything  I  have  yet  seen." 

The  Mohammedans  of  the  city  proved  far  more  ready 
for  the  Word,  and  in  effect  Martyn  said  to  the  Brah- 
mans,  as  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  the  Jews,  "Seeing  ye 
put   it   from  you  and   judge  yourselves  unworthy  of 


APOSTLES  TO  INDIA  73 

eternal  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles," — in  Martyn's 
case  to  the  Moslems.  He  thus  became  in  fact  the  first 
missionary  in  the  new  order  to  the  Mohammedans  of 
India.  His  labour  in  translating  the  N'ew  Testament 
into  Hindustani  soon  gave  him  command  of  the  lan- 
guage of  the  people  in  Dinapore  and  Cawnpore,  for 
which  centres  he  was  obliged  to  leave  Serampore.  In 
both  of  these  he  established  schools  and  preaching  sta- 
tions among  beggars  and  outcasts. 

Having  completed  his  Hindustani  ]^ew  Testameait, 
Martyn  declares, 

"If  my  life  is  spared  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
Arabic  should  not  be  done  in  Arabia  and  the  Persian  in. 
Persia  as  well  as  the  Indian  in  India." 

In  January,  1811,  this  "Gentleman  of  Christ,"  as  he 
has  been  styled,  sailed  from  Bombay  for  Persia,  fore- 
doomed to  death.  Shiraz,  the  summer  Colony  of  British 
and  Court  officials,  became  his  home,  and  here  he 
completed  his  Persian  "New  Testament,  on  February 
24th,  1812.  This  done,  the  physical  exhaustion  with 
which  he  had  long  valorously  struggled,  overcame  him. 
His  last  consuming  desire,  his  work  being  done,  was  to 
live  long  enough  once  more  to  see  England.  He  set  out 
with  two  Armenian  servants  from  Tabriz  on  the  journey 
to  Constantinople,  1,300  miles  distant.  Just  where,  just 
when,  the  end  came  will  never  be  known.  But  in  the 
month  of  Octolier,  1812,  the  body  of  Henry  Martyn, 
"scholar,  saint  and  mystic,"  was  given  burial  in  the 
Armenian  churchyard  in  the  Turkish  village  of  Tokat. 
He  had  lived  but  thirty-one  years,  but  he  left  an 
imperishable  memory  of  one  consumed  by  holy  and 
heroic  fire. 

"There  is  nothing  grander  in  the  annals  of  Chris- 
tianity," wrote  Kaye,  Anglo-Indian  historian  and  pub- 


74  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

licist,  "than  the  picture  of  Henry  Martyn,  with  the 
Bible  in  hand  alone  and  unsupported,  in  a  strange 
country,  challenging  the  whole  strength  of  Mohammed- 
anism to  a  conflict  of  disputation."  (The  reference  is  to 
a  famous  public  discussion  held  in  Shiraz.)  "He  seems 
at  this  time  to  have  possessed  something  more  than  hig 
own  human  power:  so  cool,  so  courageous:  so  bold  to 
declare,  so  subtle  to  investigate,  astonishing  the  Mo- 
hammedan doctors  with  his  wisdom, — gaining  the 
confidence  of  all  by  the  gentleness  of  his  manners  and 
the  blamelessness  of  his  life." 

The  reproach  of  the  Established  Church  of  England 
that,  for  nearly  a  score  of  years  after  the  institution  of 
Foreign  Missions,  she  furnished  no  men  for  the  perilous 
adventure,  is  turned  aside  by  the  story  of  this  hero. 
Says  Dr.  Ogilvie,  Fellow  of  the  University  of  Madras 
and  author  of  Apostles  of  India: 

"The  holy  flame  that  blazed  in  him  (Henry  Martyn)' 
has  kindled  like  holy  fire  in  unnumbered  hearts,  and 
the  Church  which  till  then  knew  no  missionary  zeal  ia 
now  the  strongest  missionary  force  in  Reformed  Chris- 
tendom." 

The  Bible  in  the  vernacular  as  chief  agent  in  regen- 
erating the  people  of  India  was  the  missionary  axiom  of 
Carey  and  Martyn.  Alexander  Duff's  dominant  idea 
was  that  the  whole  Brahman  community,  as  the  influ- 
ential body  in  the  population,  must  be  westernised ;  this 
by  liberal  education,  and  education  in  the  English  lan-^ 
guage. 

William  Carey  alone  of  all  the  missionaries  who 
knew  of  this  startling  innovation  of  the  new-comer 
(and  there  were  then,  in  1830,  a  considerable  group  of 


APOSTLES  TO  INDIA  75 

them),  approved  of  it  with  characteristic  broad-minded- 
ness. 

Duff,  first  missionary  of  the  Scottish  Church,  then 
but  twenty-four  years  of  age,  decided  after  six  weeks' 
close  study  of  the  situation,  that  he  would  open  in  Cal- 
cutta an  institution  for  the  higher  education  of  the 
Hindu  youth,  the  lessons  to  be  given  in  English  and 
instruction  in  the  Christian  religion  to  be  a  part  of  the 
curriculum.  The  idea  of  the  resolute  young  High- 
lander was  that  such  broadening  of  the  scope  of  knowl- 
edge must  dispel  the  superstitions  and  absurdities  of  the 
Hindu  economy,  and  that  the  reaction  would  inevitably 
be  toward  Christianity. 

Duff's  missionary  experiment, — the  "General  Assem- 
bly's Institution," — ^has  been  called  the  greatest  of  its 
kind  which  India  has  ever  witnessed.  In  three  years 
its  success  was  overwhelmingly  established.  Its  num- 
bers reached  three  hundred;  its  educational  theory  was 
sustained  by  results,  and  a  band  of  high-caste  Brah- 
mans  confessed  Christ,  breaking  caste  forever  in  so 
doing.  This  would  have  seemed  to  Henry  Martyn  in 
his  Calcutta  days  a  miracle  indeed.  A  decade  later, 
its  numbers  now  reaching  700,  its  staff  increased,  iti 
building  a  new  and  worthy  one  in  Cornwallis  Square, 
the  joy  of  receiving  into  Christian  fellowship  a  fresh 
group  of  Brahman  youths  was  added. 

"Whether  we  look  at  the  spiritual  or  the  intellectual 
character  of  the  young  men ;  whether  we  consider  what 
they  sacrificed  for  Christ ;  or  what  He  enabled  them  to 
become  in  His  work,  we  may  assert  that  no  Christian 
Mission  can  show  such  a  roll  of  converts  from  the 
subtlest  of  systems  of  a  mighty  faith  and  an  ancient 
civilisation  as  Dr.  Duff's  college  in  the  first  thirteeii 
years  of  its  history."     (George  Smith.) 


76  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

A  far-reaching  result  of  this  famous  achievement  fol- 
lowed in  the  impression  made  upon  the  British  Govern- 
ment in  India.  The  English  language  as  an  awakening 
and  civilising,  as  well  as  unifying  power  over  the  native 
population,  was  most  conspicuously  manifested  by 
Duff's  experiment  Lord  Macaulay's  arrival  in  Cal- 
cutta at  the  strategic  moment,  as  Law  Member  of  the 
Council,  brought  about  the  official  decision,  he  being  a 
convinced  "Anglicist."  A  memorable  ruling  was  passed 
in  1835  stating  that  the  main  portion  of  funds  in  thei 
hands  of  Government  for  educational  purposes,  was  to 
be  "henceforth  employed  in  imparting  to  the  native 
population  a  knowledge  of  English  Literature  and 
Science,  through  the  medium  of  the  English  tongue." 

The  whole  educational  system  of  the  Government  of 
India,  elaborated  from  time  to  time,  notably  in  1854, 
has  been  built  along  the  lines  laid  down  by  Duff,  and 
reflects  his  original  conceptions.  To  him  every  Gov- 
ernment school  and  college  is  to-day  largely  indebted  for 
its  existence,  for  Dr.  Duff  was  the  pioneer  who  blazed 
the  trail  and  showed  the  way. 

Alexander  Duff  passed  his  years  of  active  service 
alternately  in  India  and  in  Scotland.  In  the  latter  he 
found  a  task  before  him  no  less  weighty  or  laborious 
than  that  in  India,  namely  the  waking  the  Scottish 
people  from  their  indifference  to  missions,  and  stirring 
the  churches  to  a  sense  of  their  responsibility.  In  this 
line  his  labour  was  marvellously  availing.  Says  Ogilvie, 
himself  a  Scotchman : 

"By  1838  he  had  made  the  Scottish  church  a  'Mis- 
sionary' Church;  he  had  inspired  in  the  hearts  of  the 
Scottish  people  the  missionary  interest  which  has  never 
since  departed  from  them.  .  .  .  Best  of  all,  he  had 
kindled  in  the  souls  of  not  a  few  of  the  best  of  the 


APOSTLES  TO  INDIA  77* 

churches'  young  ministers  a  missionary  flame  that 
burned  with  the  brightness  of  his  own,  and  had  impelled 
them  to  give  themselves  to  India." 

''He  made  the  very  pulse  of  missions  to  beat  quicker," 
says  Pierson,  "shaping  missionary  effort  and  moving 
hundreds  to  go  as  well  as  tens  of  thousands  to  give." 

In  Carey's  early  days  the  number  of  missionaries  in 
India  never  exceeded  ten;  when  Duff  left  India  it  had 
grown  to  550. 

Duff  has  himself  set  forth  clearly  and  in  condensed 
language  his  own  vision  of  India's  future :  "Many  per- 
sons mistake  the  way  in  which  the  conversion  of  India 
will  be  brought  about.  I  believe  it  will  take  place  at 
last  wholesale,  just  as  our  own  ancestors  were  converted. 
The  country  will  have  Christian  instruction  infused  into 
it  in  every  way,  by  direct  missionary  education  and  in- 
directly through  books  of  various  kinds,  through  the 
public  papers,  through  conversation  with  Europeans  and 
in  all  the  conceivable  ways  in  which  knowledge  is  im- 
parted. Then,  at  last,  when  society  is  completely 
saturated  with  Christian  knowledge,  and  public  opinion 
has  taken  a  decided  turn  that  way,  they  will  come  over 
by  thousands." 

This  prophecy  to-day  remains  to  be  fulfilled. 


in 

APOSTLES  TO  CHINA 

The  civilisation  of  China,  like  that  of  India,  origin- 
ates in  pro-historic  ages.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
religious  traditions  and  customs  of  both  peoples,  from 
•which,  in  large  degree,  has  proceeded  their  social 
fabric. 

In  China  we  find  a  wall  of  conservatism  in  all  human 
affairs  far  more  nearly  insurmountable  than  its  famous 
boundary  Wall.  ITevertheless  there  is  no  bar  to  social 
progress  for  the  Chinese  people  comparable  in  obstinacy 
with  the  rules  of  Caste  in  India ;  and  the  seclusion  and 
inferiority  of  women  in  the  social  scale, — one  great 
barrier  to  progress  among  Orientals, — do  not  rest  upon 
an  inflexible  religious  code  as  in  India. 

In  the  actual  religious  ceremonial  practice  of  the 
Chinese  people,  the  one  dominant  feature  is  that 
apotheosis  of  filial  piety,  known  as  ancestor-worship, 
well  characterised  as  "the  Gibraltar  of  Chinese  belief." 

Coincident  with  this  there  are  three  fountain-heads 
of  so-called  religion  in  China,  and  from  no  one  of  them 
issues  a  stream  of  living  water.  First,  we  have  the 
teachings  of  Confucius, — a  philosopher  of  the  sixth  cen- 
tury, B.C., — ^moral  but  sterile.  Second,  we  have  a  cor- 
rupt and  idolatrous  form  of  Buddhism.  Third  is 
Taoism  which  presents  for  worship  a  congeries  of  gods, 
genii,  heroes,  demons,  natural  forces, — a  grotesque  med- 
ley of  crude  and  tawdry  superstitions, — all  in  all  a 

78 


APOSTLES  TO  CHINA  79 

bondage  of  fear.  The  Chinese  dare  not  disturb  the  siiiv 
face  of  the  soil  in  mining  operations  lest  the  revenge 
of  the  demons  be  aroused.  Grading  for  a  railroad  is 
presumptuous  trifling  with  unseen  foes.  Above  all, 
tampering  with  running  water  is  regarded  as  blasphe- 
mous defiance  of  all-powerful  spirits. 

China's  religion  has  saturated  her  people  with  fear. 
Hence  the  age-long  slumber.  Superstition  and  igno- 
rance for  ages  have  held  the  giant  in  chains.  Chris- 
tianity has  come  and  is  calling  him  to  awake,  to  find  in 
place  of  malignant  genii  everywhere  around  him,  the 
knowledge  of  the  infinite  love  of  God  the  Father  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  first  Apostle  of  Protestant  Christian  Europe  to 
China  is  a  man  singularly  like  William  Carey  in  his 
origin  and  development.  Eobert  Morrison,  born  in 
1782,  twenty-one  years  after  Carey,  "vpas  like  him  of 
humble  parentage,  his  father  being  a  last-maker  of 
Morpeth  in  the  JSTorth  of  England.  Like  Carey,  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  craft  allied  to  that  of  the  shoemaker; 
like  him,  he  developed  in  his  boyhood  a  passion  for 
hard  study  and  study  of  languages;  like  Carey,  he 
worked  at  his  bench  with  an  open  book  before  him ;  like 
him,  he  offered  himself  in  his  youth  whole-heartedly  for 
missionaiy  service.  Simple,  straightforward,  touching 
is  MoiTison's  boyish  pledge:  "Jesus,  I  have  given  myself 
to  Thy  service.  ...  I  learn  from  Thy  Word  that  it  is 
Thy  holy  pleasure  that  the  Gospel  should  be  preached 
in  all  the  world.  .  .  .  My  desire  is  to  engage  where 
labourers  are  most  wanted." 

But  the  score  of  years  intervening  between  the  birth 
of  these  two  great  pioneers  had  wrought  changes  which 
were  all  in  favour  of  Morrison.  Modern  Missions  were 
no  longer  a  thing  unheard  of,  having  been  bom  before 


80  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

lie  had  reached  adolescence.  He  grew  to  manhood  in: 
an  atmosphere  of  familiarity  with  their  appeals  and 
possihilities.  Before  he  went  to  China  in  1807,  to  which 
field  he  was  assigned  by  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
he  was  ahle  to  spend  several  years  in  diligent  and  fruit- 
ful study  of  the  Chinese  language. 

In  the  British  Museum,  day  after  day,  in  the  first 
years  of  the  new  century,  a  young  man  in  his  early 
twenties  might  have  been  observed  bent  over  two  manu- 
scripts of  singular  and  occult  appearance.  These  were  a 
copy  of  most  of  the  ISTew  Testament  in  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage, translated  by  a  nameless  Catholic  missionary, 
and  a  Latin-Chinese  lexicon.  With  camel's-hair  pencil 
in  hand,  Morrison  laboriously  copied  these  two  manu- 
scripts entire,  undaunted  by  the  cryptic  and  fantastic 
characters.  Here  he  mastered  the  elements  of  the  mosi 
difficult  of  written  languages. 

Again  we  think  of  Carey  when  Robert  Morrison  in. 
the  year  1807  attempted  to  take  passage  direct  from 
England  to  China  and  was  thwarted  by  the  East  India 
Company,  which  then  denied  missionaries  the  privilege 
of  a  passage  to  Canton  as  to  Calcutta.  Morrison  sailed 
for  "New  York,  a  voyage  of  seventy-eight  days,  and 
thence  to  Canton,  where  he  landed  September  18th, 
1807,  after  a  journey  of  four  months. 

During  his  month  in  the  United  States  he  applied  at 
the  office  of  the  ship's  company  in  New  York  for  his 
passage-papers.  The  ship  owner,  who  himself  prepared 
them,  commented  cynically, 

"And  so,  Mr.  Morrison,  you  really  expect  that  you 
will  make  an  impression  on  the  idolatry  of  the  great 
Chinese  Empire?" 

"ISTo,  sir,"  replied  the  young  man  briefly,  "I  expect 
God  will." 


APOSTLES  TO  CHINA  81 

The  early  years  on  the  field  dragged  heavily  for  Mor- 
rison as  they  did  for  Carey.  His  reports  to  the  Society 
at  home  varied  little  from  year  to  year.  Work  was  hard, 
apparently  unproductive.  The  people  listened  but  care- 
lessly. There  was  much  to  try  faith,  little  to  stimulate 
enthusiasm. 

Three  years  after  reaching  Canton  Morrison  issued 
the  first  printed  copy  of  any  translation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures made  by  a  Protestant  missionary  in  the  Chinese 
language.  In  1813  his  complete  translation  of  the  ISTew 
Testament  was  ready  for  the  press.  To  its  not-to- 
be-forgotten  credit  the  East  India  Company,  whose 
head,  Sir  George  Staunton,  had  from  the  first  taken  the 
young  missionary  under  his  wing,  defrayed  the  entire 
cost  of  printing  Morrison's  Chinese  Dictionary,  pub- 
lished in  the  year  following. 

Meanwhile  the  comfortless  conditions  of  poverty  and 
loneliness  in  which  Morrison  had  laboured  at  first  had 
undergone  improvement.  In  1809  he  married  Mary 
Morton,  daughter  of  an  English  resident  of  Macao. 
About  the  same  time  he  was  engaged  as  oSicial  trans- 
lator by  the  East  India  Company  at  a  salary  of  £500  a 
year.  In  1813  the  pioneer  missionary  and  his  wife  had 
the  great  joy  of  welcoming  to  Canton  as  co-labourers 
the  Rev.  William  Milne  and  his  gifted  young  wife,  sent 
out  by  the  London  Missionary  Society.  In  1814  Morri- 
son received  the  reward  of  seven  years  of  sacrificial 
ser\nce  in  the  baptism  of  his  first  convert,  Isai-A-Ko. 
This  first  Protestant  native  Christian  of  China  con- 
tinued steadfast  in  faith  until  his  death. 

Cause  for  deep  regret  was  it  that  the  partnership  in 
service  of  Morrison  and  Milne,  after  nine  years'  dura- 
tion, was  cut  short  by  the  death  of  Milne.  For  the  new- 
comer, enthusiastic,  eager,  enterprising,  was  precisely 


8S  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

fitted  for  yoke-fellow  with,  the  absorbed,  streniious 
student,  forced  by  circumstances  to  the  life  almost  of  a 
recluse.  True  spiritual  brothers,  these  two  worked  to- 
gether in  perfect  harmony  and  to  great  effect.  In  1821 
Dr.  Morrison  reaped  a  noble  harvest  of  his  long  toil, 
for  in  that  year  the  whole  Bible  in  Chinese  was  printed. 
The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  contributed 
£6,000  towards  the  expense  of  publication.  The  work 
of  translation  was  shared  by  Morrison  and  Milne. 

IText  to  this,  Morrison's  great  literary  achievement  is 
undoubtedly  his  Anglo-Chinese  Dictionary,  which  might 
better  bear  the  title  of  encyclopedia.  It  furnishes,  be- 
yond the  ordinary  contents  of  a  Dictionary,  a  flood  of 
biography,  history  and  description  of  national  customs, 
systems  of  education,  religion,  et  cetera.  This  monu- 
mental work,  filling  six  large  quarto  volumes,  was 
published  in  1823.  From  any  point  of  view,  but  par- 
ticularly that  of  the  complexity  and  obscurity  of  tbe 
Chinese  tongue,  this  must  stand  as  one  of  the  supreme 
triumphs  of  missionary  perseverance.  Very  graphic 
and  very  keen  is  Mr.  Milne's  description  of  the  diffi- 
culties of  learning  the  use  of  the  Chinese  language. 

"To  acquire  Chinese,"  he  said,  "is  a  work  for  men 
with  bodies  of  brass,  lungs  of  steel,  heads  of  oak,  eyes 
of  eagles,  hearts  of  apostles,  memories  of  angels  and 
lives  of  Methusaleh." 

In  1832,  Morrison,  who  never  overstated,  wrote: 

"There  is  now  in  Canton  a  state  of  society  in  respect 
of  the  Chinese  totally  different  from  what  I  found  in 
1807.  Chinese  scholars,  missionary  students,  English 
presses  and  Chinese  Scriptures,  with  public  worship  of 
God,  have  all  grown  up  since  that  period.    I  have  served 


APOSTLES  TO  CHINA  83 

my  generation,  and  must — ^the  Lord  knows  when — fall 
asleep." 

He  lived  but  two  years  longer. 

"Any  ordinary  man  would  have  considered  the  pro- 
duction of  the  gigantic  English-Chinese  dictionary  a 
more  than  full  fifteen  years'  work.  But  Morrison  had 
single-handed  translated  most  of  the  Bible  into  Chinese. 
He  had  sent  forth  tracts,  pamphlets,  catechisms ;  he  had 
founded  a  dispensary;  he  had  established  an  Anglo- 
Chinese  college ;  and  he  had  done  all  this  in  addition  to 
discharging  the  heavy  and  responsible  duties  of  trans- 
lator to  the  East  India  Company,  and  preaching  and 
teaching  every  day  of  his  life.  "No  wonder  he  had 
achieved  a  reputation  almost  world-wide  for  his  pro- 
digious labours  on  behalf  of  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

The  pathos  of  Robert  Morrison's  life  and  labours  in 
China  lies  in  the  strange  vicissitudes  which  follow.  He 
himself  laboured  as  missionary  under  the  handicap  of 
sullen  disfavour  and  opposition.  Worse  conditions  fol- 
lowed. War  broke  out  between  Britain  and  China 
before  his  death,  and  when  in  1834  Morrison  died,  the 
prospect  of  growth  for  evangelical  work  was  apparently 
as  dark  as  when  he  landed  in  China.  This  darkness  was 
diminished  by  the  arrival  of  American  missionaries,  but 
it  has  been  estimated  that  fifty  years  from  the  beginning 
of  Protestant  Missions  the  number  of  Chinese  converts 
was  not  more  than  one  hundred,  so  effectually  was  the 
work  limited  by  restriction  and  antagonism. 

But  the  close  of  the  second  Anglo-Chinese  war 
brought  about  a  transformation.  !N"ew  rights  were 
granted  to  foreigners  in  China  and  the  "toleration 


84  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

clause"  in  the  new  treaties,  permitting  Christian  mis- 
sionaries to  work  unmolested,  opened  wide  the  door 
of  China  to  the  successors  of  Robert  Morrison. 

To-day  there  are  5,000  missionaries  at  work  in  the 
Celestial  Empire;  and  350,000  Chinese  men  and 
women  confess  their  allegiance  to  Christ. 


IV 

THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA 

On  Juno  iTth,  1812,  the  brig  Caravan  from  Salem, 
Masaaciiusetts,  bound  for  Calcutta,  arrived  in  the  har- 
bour of  the  Bengali  Capital.  Among  the  passengers 
on  board  the  little  craft,  their  dwelling-place  for  four 
months,  wore  Adoniram  and  Ann  Hasseltine  Judson 
and  Samuel  and  Han-iet  Wewell,  appointed  by  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  of  their  native  coun- 
try "to  labour  under  the  direction  of  this  Board  in 
Asia,  either  in  the  Burman  Empire,  or  in  Surat, 
...  or  elsewhere  as,  in  the  view  of  the  Prudential 
Committee,  Providence  shall  open  the  way." 

A  roving  commission  assuredly,  and  to  a  roving  life 
these  young  souls  were  destined,  heroically  self-destined, 
to  a  purpose  involving  life  and  death.  ISTote  their  ages : 
Judson  was  then  in  his  twenty-fifth  year,  his  wife  in 
her  twenty-fourth.  Divine  daring  of  youth  when  it 
follows  the  gleam ! 

The  first  step  for  the  Judsons,  after  they  had  been 
received  into  the  cordial  hospitality  of  the  Serampore 
Brotherhood,  was  to  sever  themselves  from  all  earthly 
means  of  support  and  direction.  By  their  profesion 
of  changed  views  regarding  church  usage  and  by  their 
own  immersion  by  the  Baptist  missionaries,  they  forth- 
with cut  the  ties  which  bound  them  to  the  American 
Board. 

This  step  was  wholly  unwise  according  to  worldly 

85 


86  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

wisdom,  but  in  the  Divine  economy,  it  was  a  singu- 
larly strategic  move.  It  produced  the  American  Bap- 
tist Missionary  Union,  organised  primarily  to  sustain 
the  Judsons  in  their  work,  for  Judson  had  written: 

"Should  there  be  formed  a  Baptist  Society  for  the 
support  of  a  mission  in  these  parts,  I  should  be  ready 
to  consider  myself  their  missionary." 

Thus  the  leaven  worked  its  way. 

After  being  expelled  from  Bengal  by  the  East  India 
Company  and  suffering  dangers  and  privations  mani- 
fold (Harriet  l^ewell  becoming  a  martyr  to  the  in- 
veterate opposition  encountered),  Adoniram  Judson 
and  his  wife  reached  Rangoon,  Burma,  in  July,  1813. 
Burma  was  chosen,  although  beyond  the  range  of 
British  or  any  other  Christian  rule,  because  it  proved 
to  be  the  only  Oriental  country  then  open  to  them. 
They  could,  uncensured,  have  returned  to  their  native 
land,  abandoning  their  missionary  adventure  by  reason 
of  the  insuperable  difficulties  encountered,  but  they 
were  not  so  minded. 

Burma  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  thus  chose  for 
their  home  was  then  an  independent  empire  with  a 
population  of  eight  million.  The  government  was  an 
absolute  despotism  with  all  the  cruelty  of  unalloyed 
heathenism.  The  religion  of  the  Burmese,  like  that  of 
Ceylon,  was  Buddhism,  a  religion  theoretically  lofty; 
in  practice  fatalistic,  idolatrous  and  superstitious.  Ten 
years  after  their  arrival  in  Rangoon  the  Judsons  re- 
moved to  Ava,  the  capital,  led  there  by  the  invitation 
of  the  King  who  had  received  the  missionary  into  his 
presence  and  given  him  promise  that  all  danger  of 
persecution,  such  as  had  overtaken  the  native  school 
and  church  in  Rangoon,  was  at  an  end.  Almost  imme- 
diately the  bright  prospect  became  clouded.    War  be- 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  87 

tween  Burma  and  the  British  was  threateaied,  where- 
upon Judson  found  the  royal  favour  no  longer  resting 
upon  him. 

The  dramatic  events  immediately  following  for  Ado- 
niram  and  Ann  Judson  will  be  developed  in  certain 
scenes  given  below,  condensed  from  "Jesus  Christ's 
Men:  A  Progress,"  published  in  1913,  the  centennial 
year  of  the  Burman  Mission. 

Of  Judson's  work,  sustained  for  forty  years,  it  may 
be  briefly  stated  that  he  laid  a  foundation  broad  and 
deep  on  which  the  Christian  superstructure  now  rests 
in  this  seat  of  Buddhism.  His  translation  of  the  whole 
Bible  is  a  work  of  high  permanent  value.  At  his  death 
there  were  in  Burma  over  seven  thousand  native 
Christians. 


SCENES   FROM   "JESUS    CHRIST'S   MEN"* 

Characters 

Adoniram  Judson,  first  Missionary  to  Burma. 

A.NN  Hasseltine  Judson,  his  Wife, 

MouNG  Ing,  Burmese  Convert. 

Officer. 

Jailer. 

Burmese  Chief  Commissioner. 

Mr.  Gouger,  a  British  Merchan,f. 

Spotted  Jailer. 

English  Orderlies. 

English  Lieutenant. 

General  Sir  Archibald  Campbell. 

Nurse  and  Surgeon. 

Spirit  of  Love. 
Spirit  op  Evil. 


*  Jesus  Christ's  Men:    A  Progress.     Caroline  Atwater  Mason. 
The  Judson  Press,  Philadelphia.     1913. 


SCENE   VI 

Time.    June,  182  If. 

Place.  Avd,  capital  of  Burma.  Scene  hy  the  river' 
side — palms  and  tropical  plants.  A  huge  pagoda  in 
background.  At  right  front  of  stage,  adjoining  hou^e 
of  Judson,  a  bamhoo  veranda,  in  which  are  seated  on 
the  floor  ten  or  fifteen  Burmese  wom,en,  girls,  and  chil- 
dren. Among  them  stands  Mes.  Judson  in  Burmese 
costume.  Her  appearance  is  radiant  and  queenly. 
Enter  from  house  Judson  in  Burmese  costume,  MS.  of 
Burmese  New  Testament  in  hand.  Moung  Ing^  a  con- 
vert, follows  him  with  hymnal,  then  a  number  {six  to 
ten)  of  Burmese  men. 

Chorus  of  converts,  men  and  women,  standing  to- 
gether, led  by  Moung  Ing,  join  in  singing  hymn  of 
Krishnu  Pal,  first  Hindu  baptised  by  Doctor  Carey, 
1800. 

O  thou  my  soul,  forget  no  more 

The  Friend  who  all  thy  Borrows  bore. 

Let  every  idol  be  forgot: 

But,  0  my  soul,  forget  Him  not. 

All  rise,  and  the  company  breaks  up  with  profound 
salaams  to  ''the  Teacher"  and  the  ''white  Mamma."  All 
but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  go  out. 

Judson  (looking  at  his  wife  with  solicitude).  Four 
months,  my  Nancy,  since  your  return  from  your  Ameri- 
can journey,  and  already  the  climate  produces  its  ef- 
fects upon  you.     That  day  when  I  welcomed  you  back 

89 


go  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

to  Rangoon  after  our  fourteen  months'  separation,  I 
saw  once  more  Ann  Hasseltine,  the  blooming,  spirited 
girl  whom  I  snatched  from  her  father's  house  and  bore 
away  to  these  strange  shores.  All  the  weariness  and 
suffering  of  ten  years  in  India  seemed  effaced.  How 
can  I  bear  to  see  their  imprint  appear  anew  upon  the 
face  dearest  on  earth? 

Mrs.  Jtjdson.  I  am  perfectly  well;  it  is  you  who 
suffer.  But,  in  spite  of  hollow  cheek  and  fading  eye, 
I  feel  that  in  us  both  exists  an  inward  strength,  which 
shall  not  fail  until  all  is  accomplished. 

JuDsoN.  "Until  all  is  accomplished?"  What  does 
that  phrase  signify?  It  has  a  sound  which  troubles 
me,  N'ancy.    What  do  you  fear? 

Mrs.  Judson.  I  do  not  fear.  And  yet  the  sky 
around  us  seems  to  me  growing  ever  darker.  I  feel  a 
sinister,  ominous  influence  at  work  against  us. 

JuDsoN^.  You  mean  by  reason  of  the  rumors  of  war 
between  Burma  and  the  English  ?  Because  of  the  sus- 
picion lately  thrown  upon  English-speaking  residents 
of  Rangoon  and  Ava  ? 

Mrs.  Jtjdson.  Yes,  there  is  an  undeniable  change 
toward  us  of  late  on  the  part  of  the  queen.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  we  personally  are  under  disfavour  and  sus- 
picion. 

JuDsow.  You  are  right,  Nancy.  I  will  no  longer 
seek  to  hide  from  you  the  fact  that  Doctor  Price  and  I 
were  a  few  days  since  summoned  before  the  Court  of 
Inquiry,  to  prove  whether  or  not  we  have  held  comm.u- 
nication  with  foreigners  as  to  the  state  of  the  country. 

Mrs.  Judson  (clasping  her  Tiands  and  showing 
alarm).  But  you  were  able  to  make  everything  per- 
fectly clear?  You  certainly  are  innocent  in  this  par- 
ticular. 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  91 

JuDSON.  Entirely  so.  The  difficulty  is  to  make  our 
innocenoe  plain  to  judges  who  axe  utterly  unacquainted 
with  our  methods. 

Mes.  Judson.  Oh,  what  do  you  mean?  What 
methods  ? 

Judson.  We  were  released  without  condition  or 
threat  and,  as  you  see,  are  perfectly  at  liberty.  Never- 
theless it  seemed  to  me  there  was  an  unbroken  reserve, 
a  certain  stubborn  dissatisfaction  in  the  matter  of  our 
money-orders  on  the  English  Bengal  banks.  The  Bur- 
mese, you  see,  know  nothing  of  this  method  of  trans- 
mitting money,  and  it  seemed  impossible  to  make  it 
clear  to  them. 

Mes.  Judson  {qmetly).  I  see,  there  may  be  a  dif- 
ficulty there,  and  if  a  war  is  really  on,  there  would 
probably  be  an  interruption  to  the  work  of  building  up 
a  church  here  in  Ava,  as  you  did  so  successfully  in 
Kangoon. 

Judson  {reluctantly).  Yes,  I  almost  fear  our  com- 
ing to  Ava  was  mistaken. 

Mes.  Judson.  Whatever  happens,  my  love,  you  have 
by  God's  help  planted  the  church  of  Christ  in  this 
stronghold  of  heathenism;  you  have  accomplished  the 
translation  of  the  I^ew  Testament  into  Burmese,  and 
your  epitome  of  the  Old  Testament  is  finished.  I  be- 
lieve this  is  but  the  beginning  of  what  you  are  to  do; 
but  were  it  all,  could  we  not,  my  husband,  thank  God, 
and  feel  in  the  very  depths  of  our  souls  that  we  had  not 
left  home  and  native  land  in  vain  ? 

Judson  {taking  her  hands  and  clasping  them  to  his 
breast).  You  perfect  woman,  saint,  angel,  sent  from 
heaven  to  uphold  me!  With  you  by  my  side,  I  shall 
not  faint  or  grow  weary.  But,  iJ^ancy,  I  feel  with  you 
that  the  clouds  darkly  gather.     {He  puts  the  New  Te&- 


92  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

tament,  from  which  he  has  read  in  the  service,  into  her 
hands.)  I  entnist  this,  the  sum  of  ten  years  of  unceas- 
ing toil,  to  your  keeping.  We  know  not  on  what  peril- 
ous margin  we  may  be  standing. 

Mrs.  Judson  takes  the  MS.  and  hides  it  in  the  bosom 
of  her  dress. 

They  repeat  together  with  hands  clasped: 

Be  it  flood  or  blood  the  path  that's  trod, 
All  the  same  it  leads  home  to  God. 

There  is  an  instant  of  silence,  suddenly  hroTcen  hy 
harsh,  discordant  sounds  of  drums  and  tonv-toms  and 
shouts.  Enter  an  Officee  holding  a  large  black  booh. 
He  is  accompanied  by  ten  or  more  attendants,  among 
these  the  "Son  of  the  Prison/'  the  jailer,  with  face 
spotted  by  branding-iron.  This  man  is  identical  with 
the  Spirit  of  Evil;  he  is  the  essence  of  heathenism^ 
The  JuDSONS  view  him  with  abhorrence  arid  terror. 

Officer.    Where  is  the  Teacher? 

JuDSON  {stepping  forward).     I  am  the  Teacher. 

Officer.    You  are  called  by  the  king. 

Jailer  seizes  JuDSOisr,  throws  hvnn  on  the  floor,  and 
proceeds  to  bind  his  arms  behind  him  ivith  a  fine  strong 
cord.  Mrs.  Judson  seizes  his  arm.  Enter  Moung  Ing^ 
the  Bengalee  servant,  and  others. 

Mrs.  Judson.     Stay !    I  will  give  you  money. 

Officer  (contemptuously).  Take  her  too.  She 
also  is  a  foreigner. 

Judson.  I  beg  you,  spare  my  wife.  Her  health  is 
delicate.    She  has  done  no  harm,  trust  me. 

Mrs.  Judson  produces  money  and  offers  it,  but  th& 
jailer  dashes  it  from  her  hand  to  the  floor,  then  wiiU 
malicious  laughter  tightens  the  cord  with  which  he  has 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  9» 

hound  JuDSON  and  drags  hi/m  away.  Women  and  little 
children  wJio  have  entered  look  on,  wailing  and  crying. 
MouNG  Ing,.  at  a  whispered  word  from  Mrs.  Judson^ 
follows  JuDSON.  Mrs.  Judson  stands  with  closed  eyes, 
praying  silently,  hands  clasped  upon  her  breast.  Enter 
MouNG  Ing.  He  stands  respectfully  at  a  distance,  his 
face  hearing  signs  of  great  distress. 

Mrs.  Judson  {rousing  and  perceiving  Moung  Ing). 
Oh,  you  have  returned!  Tell  me!  Tell  me!  What 
happened  ? 

Moung  Ing  (with  hesitation).  I  followed  the 
Teacher  every  step,  until  I  could  follow  no  more. 

Mrs.  Judson.  Was  he  treated  less  ungently,  Moung 
Ing,  after  they  departed  ? 

Moung  Ing.  Alas,  Maroma,  the  wretches  threw  him, 
on  the  ground  yet  again,  when  they  reached  the  street, 
and  drew  the  cords  so  tight  that  he  scarce  could  breathe. 

Mrs.  Judson.  Tell  me,  faithful  friend,  everything. 
I  can  bear  it. 

Moung  Ing.  I  followed  to  the  court-house,  and  heard 
an  officer  read  before  the  governor  of  the  city  an  order 
of  the  king  condemning  the  Teacher  to  the  Death  Prison. 

Mrs.  Judson.  But  surely  they  would  not,  they  could 
not  commit  him  to  that  prison,  the  Death  Prison,  with- 
out trial. 

MouTSTG  Ing.  Mamma,  I  saw  him  dragged  into  th€| 
Death  Prison,  loaded  with  three  pairs  of  iron  fetters, 
other  white  prisoners  with  him.  They  were  led  into 
Let^nuu-yoon  and  the  door  waa  shut.  (Moung  Ing's' 
voice  trembles  and  choices.) 

Mrs.  Judson.  " Let-mar^ oon?"  What  meaning  has 
this  name,  Moung  Ing  ?  Why  do  you  turn  so  ashy  pale  ? 
Why  do  you  tremble  so  ?    Oh,  speak ! 

Moung  Ing  (low  and  relucta/atly) .     The  words  of 


94,  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

that  name  mean  "Hand  shrink  not."  O  Mamma,  do  not 
faint !    Do  not  die ! 

Mks.  Judson.  "Hand  shrink  not."  {Slowly,  press- 
ing her  fingers  to  her  forehead  as  if  dazed  and  uncom- 
prehending.) "Hand  shrink  not?"  (Questioningly, 
alarmed.)  Let-ma-yoon — "Hand  shrink  not."  {Calmly, 
hut  with  the  note  of  despair.)  I  comprehend  at  last, 
Moung  Ing.  This  is  what  heathenism  means  when  you 
cut  deep  enough — the  essence  of  cruelty.  In  this  cham- 
ber then  proceed  tortures  from  which  the  hand  of  a 
hardened  ruffian  even  might  shrink.  {A  pause.)  ISTo, 
Moung  Ing.  This  is  not  the  time  to  faint  or  to  die. 
iN^either  shall  my  hand  shrink,  nor  my  heart.  Leave 
me  alone,  that  I  may  consider  what  it  is  that  I  have  to 
do,  for  something  yet  remains  to  be  done. 

Mrs.  Judson  walhs  once  up  and  down  the  veranda  in 
deep  thought. 

Mes.  Judson  {musing).  Behold,  and  see  if  there  be 
any  sorrow  like  unto  my  sorrow.  My  first-bom  sleeps 
in  Bengal  waters ;  my  little  Roger,  my  very  heart's  de- 
sire, lies  buried  in  Rangoon,  out  of  reach,  beyond  kissy 
his  little  grave  no  longer  my  safe,  sacred  refuge.  Shall 
the  child  now  promised  me  be  bom  fatherless  in  this 
dreadful  land?  If  fatherless,  then  the  innocent  darl- 
ing will  be  motherless  also,  for  there  are  sorrows  too 
heavy  for  mortal  flesh  to  bear. 

God  the  Son  give  me  a  part 

In  the  hiding-place  of  Jesus'  heart ; 

God  the  Spirit  so  hold  me  up 

That  I  may  drink  of  Jesus'  cup. 

Death  is  short,  and  life  is  long : 

Satan  is  strong,  but  Christ  more  strong. 

Curtain. 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  95 

SCENE  vn 

Time.    February,  1825. 

Place.    Interior  of  Ava  Death  Prison. 

Prison-yard  surrounded  by  open  pens,  n/wmhered. 
Prison-house  (Let-ma-yoon)  at  left.  Groups  of  fettered 
prisoners  lying  or  crouching  on  the  ground,  or  hobbling 
about  the  yard  followed  by  jailer.  At  right  of  rear 
centre  a  man  with  feet  in  stocks.  Judson,  in  rags  andt 
three  pairs  of  fetters,  lies  before  shed  sixteen  on  ground, 
his  head  supported  by  a  hard,  cylindrical  pillow,  sewed 
up  in  a  dingy,  ragged  mat.  Near  him.  Doctor  Price, 
"a  tall,  gaunt,  raw-boned,  light-haired  Yankee,"  and  Mr. 
GouGER,  an  English  merchant,  similarly  shackled. 
From  Lei^na-yoon  at  left  come  shrieks  and  groans  of 
agony,  and  an  occasional  derisive  laugh.  Burmese 
Chief  Commissioner  with  grey  beard  and  richly 
coloured  costume  passes  slowly  through  on  visit  of 
inspection  and  goes  out  at  rear. 

Gottger  {aside,  in  a  low  voice).  Judson,  never  yet 
have  I  seen  you  and  that  wretched  pillow  parted.  It 
can  hardly  add  to  your  comfort,  I  should  think. 

Judson  (glancing  anxiously  around).  I  have  been 
trying  for  a  moment  when  I  could  tell  you,  unobserved, 
what  is  in  that  pillow.  I  want  to  entrust  it  to  your  care 
if  you  outlive  me,  Gouger. 

Gouger.    Ah !     It  contains  jewels — ^money  ? 

Judson.  Nay,  man;  something  far  more  precious 
— the  work  of  ten  long  years  of  hard  study — all  indeed, 
save  a  handful  of  converts,  which  I  have  to  offer  for 
twelve  years  in  a  heathen  land. 

Gouger.  Speak  quickly.  The  warden  has  his  eye 
this  way,  and  it  is  almost  three.  The  Death  Hour 
again! 


96  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

JiJDSON.  It  is  the  manuscript  New  Testameait  in 
Burmese,  the  only  complete,  emended  copy  in  existence. 
And  this,  Gouger,  the  protection  of  these  worthless  rags 
(touching  the  pillow)  makes  the  safest  casket  which 
either  Mrs.  Judson  or  I  can  provide  for  it.  I  left  tlie 
manuscript  with  her  until  the  house  became  unsafe 

Enter  Spotted  Jailee^  ''Son  of  the  Prison"  He 
walks  to  stone  in  centre  of  yard  and  strikes  three 
slow  strokes  on  a  large  gong  he  holds  in  his  hand.  As  he 
does  this  he  looks  frotn  side  to  side  nrith  a  malicious  leer 
at  different  prisoners.    A  sinister  silence  falls. 

Jailer  {pointing  to  prison  enclosure  at  left).  How 
quickly  I  can  soothe  the  complaining  of  those  in  yonder ! 
At  this  moment  a  pleasant  thrill  of  expectation  is  pass- 
ing through  all  their  breasts.  Do  you  not  envy  them? 
Ah,  my  lambs,  let  no  such  feeling  arise.  Ere  long  you 
too  may  be  among  the  chosen,  the  fortunate.  {He  points 
to  one  and  another,  Judson",  and  the  white  prisoners.) 
You  shall  not  always  be  passed  over  and  neglected,  my 
merry  fellows.  You  are  not  forgotten.  Oh,  never, 
never !    But  restrain  your  impatience  yet  a  day  or  two. 

This  is  spoken  with  ferocious  cunning  and  malice. 
Jailer  walks  over  to  man  in  stocks,  chucks  him  under 
his  chin,  and  puts  an  arm  around  him  in  mockery,  then 
administers  a  painful  wrench.    Prisoner  shrieks. 

Jailer  goes  into  prison-house  at  left.  Perfect  silence 
reigns.  Enter  Jailer,  followed  hy  a  half-naked  wretch 
with  bleeding  ankles  and  mutilated  face.  In  silence  he 
traverses  the  prisonryard,  the  prisoner  dragging  himself 
after  with  moans,  followed  hy  under-jailer  with  uplifted 
club.    They  go  out. 

JuDsoN  {staggering  to  his  feet,  lifts  clasped  hands  in 
prayer).    Have  mercy  on  the  soul  of  yonder  miserable 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  97 

wretch  thus  called  before  Thee,  and  upon  us,  in  this 
prison-house,  alike  miserable,  who  know  not  the  day 
nor  the  hour  when  we  too  shall  be  summoned. 

White  Prisonees.    Have  mercy ! 

A  timid  knocking  is  heard  on  door  at  rear.  An  under- 
keeper  opens  and  falls  hack  as  one  who  sees  a  vision. 
Enter  Mes.  Judson.  She  is  pale,  wan,  wasted,  ethereal, 
like  a  spirit  rather  than  a  flesh-and-hlood  luoman.  She 
is  dressed  in  white  Burmese  costume,  head  veiled.  A 
little  child  closely  wrapped  in  soft  white  draperies  is 
clasped  to  her  breast.  Behind  her  stands  the  Bengalee 
servant,  carrying  a  pannier  of  food.  Mes.  JuDSOisr  ad- 
vances slowly  to  centre,  followed  hy  servant.  Judson 
starts  hack  in  amazement,  joy  and  anguish  expressed  on 
his  face.  Mes.  Judson  stretches  out  her  left  hand  to- 
ward him.  He  limps  painfully  to  h&r,  with  fifty-pound 
fetters  on  his  feet.  He  is  in  rags,  his  hair  long  and 
matted,  his  face  tragically  worn,  haggard,  and  deadly 
pale.  When  he  reaches  his  wife  he  falls  on  his  knees, 
lifts  the  hem  of  her  rohe,  and  presses  it  passionately  and 
reverently  to  his  lips.  She  maJces  him  rise;  then,  plac- 
ing the  infant  in  his  arms,  breaks  into  tears  as  she  scans 
his  dreadful  aspect. 

Judson.  My  ITancy!  My  heroic  girl!  But  you 
should  not  have  come.  It  is  two  miles  hither.  You  are 
still  far  from  recovered. 

Mrs.  Jtjdson  (dashing  tears  from  her  eyes  and  smil- 
ing) .  You  are  quite,  quite  wrong,  dearest ;  I  am  really 
very  strong.  Look  at  our  baby.  Is  she  not  sweet  ?  She 
will  be  three  weeks  old  to-morrow. 

JrDsoisr.  Precious  breath  of  heaven  wafted  through 
this  inferno !  But  you,  my  own,  are  sadly  pale.  (  Gives 
back  the  child.) 

Mrs.  Judson.    But  I  am  not  at  all  tired,  and  I  have 


98  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

carried  Baby  all  tlie  way.  Are  you  not  proud  of  your 
wife? 

JuDsoN  (choJcmg  down  a  sob).  Very  proud,  Nancy, 
my  little  iNancy. 

Mrs.  JimsoN.  Has  it  seemed  too,  too  hard,  my  not 
coming  all  these  long  weeks  ? 

Jtjbson.    N'ot  too  hard  now  that  I  know  that  you  live. 

Slowly,  as  if  thinking  the  lines  while  speaking,  look' 
ing  steadfastly  at  the  child  in  her  arms,  he  repeats: 

Sleep,  darling  infant,  sleep, 

Hushed  on  thy  mother's  breast; 
Let  no  rude  sound  of  clanking  chains 

Disturb  thy  balmy  rest. 

Wouldst  view  this  drear  abode. 

Where  fettered  felons  He, 
And  wonder  that  thy  father  here 

Should  as  a  felon  sigh  ? 

Sleep,  darling  infant,  sleep ! 

Blest  that  thou  canst  not  know 
The  pangs  that  rend  thy  parents'  hearts. 

The  keennes  of  their  woe. 

Mes.  Judson  listens  with  strong  emotion — then, 
turns  and  speaks  to  the  other  white  prisoners. 

Mes.  JtrDSOF.  Have  you  had  food  enough  since  I 
have  been  unable  to  come  with  it  ? 

Peice.  We  have  not  fared  as  we  used  to,  Mrs.  Jud- 
son,  when  you  could  come  yourself,  but  we  are  all  right. 

GouGEE.  We  have  almost  always  had  a  bit  of  rice 
once  a  day. 

Mes.  Judson  (turning  to  servant).  You  shall  have 
more  now.     (He  opens  basket  and  hands  food  to  pris- 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  99 

oners,  who  devour  it  with  famished  eagerness.  Mes. 
JuDSON  turns  hack  to  her  hushand.) 

JuDSON.  My  love,  we  shall  scarcely  have  five  minutes 
longer  together.    A  word  as  to  the  manuscript. 

MJBS.  JuDsoN.  Tell  me,  it  is  still  safe,  sewed  into 
your  pillow? 

JuDSON.  Thus  far,  but  no  one  can  tell  for  how  long. 
At  any  moment  my  few  belongings  may  be  snatched 
from  me.  During  your  absence  all  tokens  point  to  fresh 
and  added  oppression  awaiting  us.  Nothing  but  your 
fearless,  persistent  mediation,  my  Nancy,  has  obtained 
for  us  white  men  the  freedom  of  this  yard.  Scores  of 
poor  wretches  still  languish  in  the  unspeakable  filth  and 
poisonous  stenches  of  yonder  prison-house,  where  they 
sleep,  suspended  by  their  fettered  feet  from  a  pole — 
have  no  water,  and  food  but  rarely.  No  one  knows  how 
soon  our  lot  will  be  to  be  returned  thither.  I  like  not 
the  malicious,  taunting  leer  which  the  Spotted  Jailer 
casts  upon  us  of  late. 

Mrs.  Judson.  Oh,  I  will  go  to  the  chief  commit- 
sioner !  He  cannot  refuse  me !  Never  can  you  survive 
the  horrors  of  that  den  of  torture. 

JuDSON.  I  think  there  would  be  little  use  in  going  to 
the  commissioner,  Nancy.  He  has  been  here  often,  but 
he  shows  to  us  foreigners  the  most  cynical  indifference 
always.  Our  fate  depends  really  upon  the  fortunes  of 
the  war.  The  first  important  reverse  which  the  Bur- 
mese army  makes  is  bound  to  be  followed  by  fresh 
cruelties  visited  upon  us  by  the  diabolical  invention  of 
our  jailer. 

Mes.  Judson.  Whatever  befalls,  I  shall  be  near  yon, 
near  you,  heart  of  my  heart,  to  the  very  end. 

JuBsoN.    I  say  this  not  to  arouse  fresh  agony,  but 


100  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

that  you  may  not  be  taken  wholly  unawares,  my  wife, 
if  swift  changes  for  the  worse  overtake  us. 

Mrs.  Judson.  You  cannot  fear  worse  than  Let-mor 
yoon,  the  inner  prison — and {Falters.) 

JuDsoN.  And  the  torture  ?  Yes — a  degree  yet  more 
dreaded  is  removal  from  thy  near  presence,  my  wife. 

Mes.  Judson.    Where  ?    How  do  you  mean  ? 

Enter  Spotted  Jailer. 

JuDsoN.  I  can  say  nothing.  I  only  know  a  rumour 
creeps  about  among  us  that  we  white  prisoners  are 
shortly  to  be  removed  to  some  remote  spot,  where  the 
ministries  and  mediations  of  our  friends  cannot  follow. 

Mrs.  Judson  {with  fire).  They  shall  remove  you 
nowhither  where  my  feet  shall  not  follow,  where  my 
ministry  and  my  mediation,  my  heart,  my  life,  my  all 
shall  not  be  yours 

Spotted  Jailer  {approaching,  with  smile).  Madam 
excites  herself.  Our  beloved  guest  must  not  be  fatigued 
by  too  long  converse.  He  is  looking  ill — do  you  not 
think  so  ?    It  is  time  to  go. 

Mrs.  Judson  recoils  at  the  Jailer's  approach  a/nd 
trembles,  hut  does  not  turn  to  go.  The  Bengalee  servant 
moves  to  her  side.  Judson  turns  a  pleading  look  ai 
Jailer. 

Spotted  Jailer  {harshly).  Depart.  Enough  of 
this.  You  but  make  worse  the  prisoner's  plight.  If 
you  do  not  go,  we  will  have  you  dragged  out,  madam. 
{Laughs.)     This  you  would  perhaps  not  find  agreeable. 

Mrs.  Judson,  with  hearing'  as  of  faintness  and  of 
terror,  her  hahy  clasped  to  her  hreast,  moves  slowly  to- 
ward door  in  rear. 

JuDSON  {his  hand  lifted).  Send  thy  light  and  thy 
love,  O  my  God,  into  the  gloom  of  this  benighted 
country. 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  101 

Spotted  Jatlbe  regards  him  silently,  tvith  sneering 
menace. 

Curtain. 

Chorus 

She  who,  at  Ava  and  at  Oung-pen-la, 

Won  brutal  men  to  softness  by  her  grace. 
Illumined  prison  glooms  with  her  sweet  face. 

And  on  despair  shone  like  a  morning  star; 
Herself,  her  story,  and  her  sufferings  won 

Homage  from  men,  as  if  she  came  from  heaven. 
In  whose  stout  hearts  she  left  a  little  leaven. 

Whose  sacred  workings  may  outlive  the  sun. 

W.  C.  Richards. 

S0E17E  vm 

Time.    February  SJt,  1826. 

Place.  Headquarters  of  C ommander-irv-chief  Camp- 
hell  in  British  cam,p  at  Tandaho  on  Irawadi  River. 
River-bank  at  rear.  Right  front — tent  of  commander- 
in-chief,  with  British  flag  floating.  Left  front — a 
larger  tent,  gorgeously  hung  with  crimson  and  gold, 
above  which  float  the  American  flag  of  1826  and  the 
British  flag  together.  An  Ordekly  at  worh  placing 
armchairs,  etc.,  in  veranda  before  this  tent. 

Enter  Second  Oedeely. 

Second  Oedeely,  Great  preparations  here !  Is  th^ 
King  of  England  coming  to  this  lovely  land  ? 

First  Oedeely.  You  know  who  is  coming,  don't 
yon? 

Second  Oedeely.    Not  I. 

FiEST  Orderly  (brushing  a  costly  rug  on  %is  arm 
with  care).     Haven't  yon  heard  of  this  great  teacher 


102  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

by  the  name  of  Judson,  who  came  to  Burma  from 
America  and  brought  his  wife  a  dozen  years  ago  ? 

Second  Okdekly.  No,  I  never  heard  of  such  a  man. 
Why  should  I  ? 

First  Ordeely.  There  is  no  end  of  talk  about  the 
two  of  them — what  he  has  suffered  and  what  courage 
his  wife  has  shown — the  only  white  woman  in  Ava  she 
was,  look  you.  You  see  he  has  been  imprisoned  by 
these  Burman  devils  for  a  long  time — ^two  years  or  so — 
in  one  of  their  vilest  holes.  A  half  dozen  Englishmen 
were  kept  there  with  him,  you  know,  and  they  would 
all  have  died  but  for  this  Mr.  Judson's  wife. 

Second  Orderly.  Better  die  at  once,  to  my  think- 
ing, than  be  given  into  the  claws  of  those  brutes. 

First  Orderly.  Well,  Mr.  Judson  contrived  not  to 
die,  thanks  to  his  lady.  And  he  knows  the  Burmese 
language  as  well  as  he  does  the  English,  writes  books 
in  Burmese,  anything  you  please.  The  natives  were 
shrewd  enough  to  see  that  he  had  more  brains  in  his 
little  finger  than  they  had  in  their  whole  royal  family. 
So  after  Bandoola,  their  great  warrior  chief,  was  beaten 
and  killed  and  the  war  as  good  as  over,  they  dragged 
Mr.  Judson  out  of  his  prison  to  act  as  their  diplomatic 
interpreter  and  go-between  with  General  Campbell. 

Second  Orderly.    A  good  job  that ! 

First  Orderly.  You  can  believe  Sir  Archibald  was 
pretty  sore  to  find  men  of  our  own  blood  given  over  to 
torture  by  those  fiends  in  their  filthy  dungeons.  So 
now  he  has  Mr.  Judson  as  his  guest  of  honour,  and  there 
is  nothing  too  much  to  do  for  him. 

Second  Orderly.  And  the  lady — is  she  coming 
too? 

First  Orderly.  Yes.  She  has  been  staying  on  the 
"Diana,"  but  the  general  has  ordered  this  tent  here 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  103 

next  his  own  for  the  two  of  them,  and  yon^re  right — if 
it  was  their  majesties,  he  couldn't  do  more.  They  will 
be  coming  now  any  moment.  Why,  man,  Sir  Archibald, 
an  hour  since,  sent  the  staff  officers  and  Sir  John  him- 
self— his  own  son — ^with  them,  to  escort  the  lady  from 
the  steamer. 

Enter  Lieutenant.  Oedeelies  salute  and  stand  at 
attention.  Military  music  in  the  distance,  drawing 
nearer. 

Lieutenant  to  oedeelies.  !Now,  give  strict  atten- 
tion. The  Treaty  of  Peace  between  us  and  Burma  is 
to  be  signed,  it  is  expected,  to-day,  unless  some  obstacle 
interferes.  The  Burmese  Commissioners,  with  their 
suites,  have  arrived  to  confer  on  the  terms  of  peace  with 
the  commander.  They  will  pass  here  about  noon.  But 
at  any  moment  Mrs.  Judson,  wife  of  Sir  Archibald's 
guest  of  honour,  is  expected  to  land.  The  boats  are  now 
in  sight.  You  will  wait  upon  the  gentleman  and  lady 
here  in  their  tent.  See  that  every  wish  is  met.  Spare 
no  pains. 

Fiest  Ordebly  {saluting).    I  will  do  my  best,  sir. 

Lieutenant.  Very  well.  Dinner  will  be  served  in 
the  large  tepee  on  the  river-bank,  and  you  will  inform 
Mrs.  Judson  that  the  general  himself  will  wait  upon 
her  and  conduct  her  to  the  table. 

Oedeely.    Quite  so,  sir. 

Lieutenant  goes  out.  Enter  from  rear  Me.  and 
Mes.  Judson.  She  is  ^  '^slight,  emaciated,  graceful, 
almost  ethereal.  Her  face  very  pale,  expression  of  deep 
and  serious  thought;  her  hrown  hair  braided  over  a 
placid  and  holy  hrow;  her  small,  lily  hands  quite  heaur 
iiful  and  very  wan;  they  told  of  death  in  all  its  trans- 
parent grace,  when  the  sich  hlood  shines  through  the 

*  Description  of  Mrs.  Judson  by  an  English  oflGlcer,  1826. 


104  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

clear  skin,  even  as  the  bright  poison  Ughts  up  ths 
Venetian  glass  which  it  is  about  to  shatter."  Mrs. 
JuDSON  is  dressed  in  rich  Burmese  costume,  a  white, 
transparent  veil  floating  from  her  head.  She  leans  on 
her  husband's  arm,  and  looks  up  with  ardent  joy  into  his 
face. 

JuDsoN.  Free — all  free !  Do  you  believe  it  ?  You, 
our  darling  child,  I !     Is  this  heaven,  ISTancy  ? 

Mes.  Judson.  Yes,  I  think  so,  now  that  I  see  you! 
again.  When  you  are  out  of  my  sight  I  find  it  impoa- 
sible  to  believe  it  tnie.  And  always  {shudders)  I  seem 
to  hear  the  step  of  that  jailer 

JuDSON.  Hush,  dear  love !  Forget.,  forget !  Put  that 
thought  of  horror  from  your  mind.  We  are  free ;  we  are 
safe;  we  are  together.  WTiat  shall  we  render  to  the 
Lord  for  all  his  benefits  toward  us  ? 

Mrs.  Judson".  Oh,  see  this  beautiful  tent !  Why,  the 
whole  place  seems  like  a  fairy  scene.  And  look !  What 
can  it  mean  ?  There  is  our  own  dear  flag.  {Poiyiting  to 
banners  on  tent  at  left. ) 

Orderly.  By  your  leave,  madam,  this  tent  is  your 
own  while  you  do  the  British  Army  the  honour  to  re- 
main in  our  camp.     The  other  is  the  commander's. 

Mrs.  JuDso^-y-'s  lips  tremble,  and  she  tries  in  vain  to 
speak.     Wipes  tears  from  her  eyes. 

JuDSON.  This  is  most  notable  kindness  on  the  part 
of  Sir  Archibald.  I  shall  soon  attempt  to  thank  him  in 
person,  for  I  must  hasten  this  moment  to  his  presence. 
Enter  then,  my  wife,  and  know  at  last  the  sensation  of 
a  Christian  environment,  safe,  sure,  sacred — such  as 
befits  you. 

He  kisses  her  hand.    Goes  out  at  right.    Mrs.  Jijdson" 
follows  Orderly  to  door  of  tent  at  left. 
Curtain. 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  105 


SCENIC    JX 

Time.    Two  hours  later. 

Place.    The  same. 

Military  music.  Gay  fanfare  or  "Hail,  the  CoTiquer- 
ing  Hero  Comes,"  followed  hy  "Star  Spangled  Banner.'* 
Enter  from  rear  General  Sir  Archibald  Campbell, 
walking  alone  in  dress  uniform  of  British  Army.  Be- 
hind him,  two  hy  two,  an  embassy  of  Burmese  Commis- 
sioners and  their  attendants,  in  white  native  dress,  six 
in  all.  The  Chief  Commissioner,  seen  hefore  in  prison 
at  Ava>,  distingvdshed  hy  splendour  of  jewels,  wears  a 
pointed  grey  heard.  Behioid  them  several  British  staff 
officers,  with  them  Judson.  The  procession  advances 
to  front  of  scene.  Music  ceases.  All  stand  still  and 
gaze  with  wonder  and  expectation  around  them-.  Gen- 
eral Campbell  goes  to  door  of  tent  at  left;  the  curtain 
is  lifted.  Mrs.  Judson  appears.  The  General  tahes 
her  on  his  arm  and  advances  toward  the  Commis- 
sioners. On  seeing  Mrs.  Judson,  the  Chief  Com- 
missioner, the  man  with  the  heard,  turns  deadly  pale, 
and  hegins  to  cower  and  tremhle  violently.  The  others 
show  consternation  and  fear  in  their  faces. 

General  {pausing  at  a  slight  remove  from  the  com- 
pany, and  looTcing  searchingly  along  the  line).  Mrs. 
Judson,  how  is  this  ?  I  judge  that  these  gentlemen  must 
be  old  acquaintances  of  yours  ? 

Mrs.  Judson.  You  appear  puzzled,  Sir  Archibald. 
Yes,  I  recognise  several  faces. 

General  (laughing).  Judging  from  their  appear- 
ance, madam,  you  must  have  treated  them  very  ill. 
Eeally,  you  had  not  struck  me  as  capable  of  such  cruelty 
as  to  inspire  terror  like  this. 


106  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Mes.  Judson.  At  least  I  am  glad  that  my  appear- 
ance does  not  intimidate. 

General.  But  really,  now,  what  is  the  matter  with 
yonder  owner  of  the  pointed  beard  ?  He  seems  to  be 
seized  with  an  ague  fit. 

Mrs.  Judson  {fixing  her  eyes  steadily  on  the  Chief 
CoMMissioNEB,  which  causes  him  to  tremble  yet  m^ore). 
I  do  not  know,  unless  his  memory  may  be  too  busy. 
He  is  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine. 

Generajl.  Ah !  I  can  see.  I  fancy  he  infers  danger 
to  himself  and  to  his  Peace  Treaty  from  seeing  so  dan- 
gerous an  acquaintance  under  my  protection. 

Mrs.  Judson.  To  tell  the  truth,  he  may  fancy  some 
cause  for  fear.  I  know  the  Burmese  well,  Sir  Archi- 
bald, and  if  I  were  a  Burmese  Buddhist  woman,  instead 
of  an  American  Christian,  I  should  undoubtedly  at  this 
moment  be  asking  you  for  the  small  favour  of  yonder 
gentleman's  head  on  a  charger.  But  I  assure  you  I 
should  have  no  use  in  the  world  for  such  a  gift. 

General.  Pray  tell  me  of  your  relations  to  him,  dear 
madam.  I  assure  you  that  I  will  put  your  confidence  to 
no  official  use. 

Mrs.  Judson.  That  being  assured,  for  I  really  bear 
the  man  no  slightest  malice,  I  will  describe  what  hap- 
pened during  my  husband's  imprisonment.  It  was 
during  the  terribly  hot  weather,  and  Mr.  Judson  was 
taken  ill  with  fever.  Our  little  daughter  was  about  two 
months  old,  I  think.  You  see,  he  and  Doctor  Price, 
Mr.  Gouger,  and  others  had  been  suddenly  thrown  into 
the  loathsome  prison-house,  and  their  fetters  increased 
from  three  pairs  to  five.  The  air  in  Let-ma-yoon  waa 
stifling,  loaded  with  foulness  of  every  kind;  there 
seemed  no  chance  for  my  husband's  recovery  unless  he 
could  be  allowed  to  lie  in  the  prison-yard. 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  107 

General.  On  my  soul,  madam,  I  should  think  not ! 
I  hope  that  man  understands  English,  and  can  hear  a 
word  or  two  from  this  distance. 

Mrs.  Judson.  Ko,  they  do  not  understand  English, 
but  the  man's  conscience  gives  him  an  intuition  of  what 
I  may  be  saying.  See  the  perspiration  ooze  from  his 
skin. 

General.     Poor  devil ! 

Mrs.  Judson'.  Well,  Sir  Archibald,  I  had  lain  awake 
all  night  trying  to  devise  some  meails  to  save  Mr.  Jud- 
son's  life.  Early  in  the  morning,  to  escape  the  worst 
of  the  tropical  heat,  I  started  from  our  poor,  dismantled 
home  to  the  house  of  our  Chief  Commissioner  yonder 
to  beg  for  the  favour  I  speak  of. 

General.  That  Mr.  Judson  should  be  transferred, 
during  his  illness,  to  the  prison-yard  ? 

Mrs.  Judson.  Yes.  I  reached  the  house  at  an  early 
hour,  but  was  not  allowed  to  come  into  the  man's  pres- 
ence until  noon,  when  the  sun  was  smiting  the  city  with 
fierce  and  fiery  heat.  On  hearing  my  pitiful  request, 
the  man  repulsed  me  witli  a  rough  refusal,  giving  no 
hope  for  the  slightest  amelioration  of  conditions.  I  was 
turning  away  sorrowfully,  stricken  to  the  very  heart 
with  hopeless  disappointment,  when  his  lordship  seized 
a  silk  umbrella  I  carried  in  my  hand,  declaring  that  he 
was  very  glad  to  keep  that  as  he  oould  use  it,  and  that 
all  our  belongings  were  by  right  confiscated  to  the  gov- 
ernment. 

General,    Great  heaven !    Is  this  heathenism  ? 

Mrs.  Judson.  Heathenism's  very  essence.  Sir  Archi- 
bald— pitiless  cruelty,  malicious  extortion.  I^ever  be- 
lieve people  who  prate  of  the  beauties  of  Buddhism.  I 
begged,  I  begged  hard  that  he  would  give  back  the 
umbrella,  for  it  was  my  only  protection  on  my  long 


108  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

return  walk,  but  in  vain.  I  told  him  I  had  no  money, 
and  begged  that  he  would  at  least  lend  me  a  paper 
umbrella,  as  there  was  great  danger  of  sunstroke  at  high 
noon.  At  this  he  laughed  coarsely,  and  told  me  that 
the  sun  could  not  find  one  as  thin  as  I,  only  stout  people 
were  in  danger  of  sunstroke. 

General.  Will  you  permit  me  to  wring  his  neck, 
madam  ?  My  fingers  simply  twitch  with  longing  to 
perform  the  act.    See  the  coward  cower  and  cringe ! 

Mrs.  Judson.  No.  I  have  your  promise  that  he 
shall  not  suffer  at  my  hands.  The  story  is  told.  He 
simply  turned  me  out  at  the  door  on  the  blazing  street, 
and  I  did  not  die,  you  see,  after  all. 

General.  ISTo  credit  to  him  that  you  did  not.  The 
scoundrel !  Look !  I  believe  he  will  fall  in  a  fit  in  his 
terror.  Let  him  sweat  for  it,  I  say!  The  tortures  of 
the  Death  Prison  ought  to  be  reserved  for  such  as  he. 

Mrs.  Judson.  May  I  speak  to  him  in  Burmese,  Gen- 
eral Campbell? 

General  (reluctantly).  He  ill  deserv'^es  pity  at  your 
hand,  but  I  see  plainly  that  your  role,  now  and  ever, 
is  that  of  a  ministering  spirit.  (Makes  a  gesture,  allow- 
ing her  to  approach  the  Commissioner.) 

Mrs.  Judson  appvaches  and  says  a  few  words  softly 
in  Burmese  to  the  Commissioner,  who  is  on  the  edge 
of  fainting  with  terror.  His  countenance  at  once 
hrightens,  he  salaams  to  the  ground  before  her,  and  seehs 
to  kiss  the  hem  of  her  drapery.  General  Campbell 
draws  her  away,  and  takes  her  hand  within  his  arm. 

General.  It  is  not  fit  that  so  vile  a  wretch  should 
touch  even  the  hem  of  your  garment.  (He  leads  on,  the 
music  is  heard  again,  procession  moves.) 

Curta/in. 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  109 


eCENE    I 

Time.    October  20,  18S6. 

Plaice.    Amherst. 

As  the  curtain  is  about  to  rise,  Ihe  CnoErs  chants 
softly: 

"But  'tis  great  renown  for  a  woman  who  must  perish 
that  she  should  have  shared  the  doom  of  the  godlike  in 
her  life  and  afterward  in  her  death." 

— The  Antigone. 

Yeranda  of  small  bamboo  dwelling.  Mrs.  Jtjdson 
partially  reclines,  near  front  centre,  in  a  chaise  longue, 
very  pale  save  for  a  vivid  flush  of  fever  on  her  cheeks. 
Her  eyes  are  very  bright,  her  hair  curls  carelessly 
around  her  forehead  and  falls  in  long  braids  upon  her 
shoulders.  She  wears  a  thin  white  negligee,  and  a 
piece  of  light  oriental  drapery  is  thrown  over  her  limhs. 
A  tabouret  by  her  side  holds  cooling  drinks  and  medi- 
cine. An  army  Suegeon  in  British  uniform  is  bend- 
ing near,  speaking  soothingly  to  her.  Mrs.  Judson 
appears  not  to  notice  his  presence.  An  army  Nurse 
stands  at  one  side.  The  doctor  turns  away,  and  they 
confer,  witMrannng  to  left. 

Nurse.  What  shall  I  do  when  she  calls  for  her  baby  ? 
She  wants  the  poor  little  thing  with  her  all  the  tima  I 
am  afraid  it  is  bad  for  her. 

Surgeon  (gravely).  No.  It  will  do  no  harm.  We 
must  consider  that  her  very  life  having  been  offered  up 
to  save  the  life  of  her  child,  she  mu^t  have  the  reward 
of  seeing  it  in  its  restored  condition.  It  is  the  sole 
joy  left  her  now. 

Nurse.    You  speak  as  if  her  life 


no  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Surgeon.  It  will  be  a  matter  of  a  few  days  yet.  Her 
mind  will  probably  wander  more  than  before. 

NuKSE.  It  is  bard,  so  bard,  to  see  sudi  an  angel 
suffer. 

SuKGEON-.  Tes.  But  she  will  not  suffer  long.  All 
her  vital  force  bas  been  expended  in  tbe  service  of 
otters.  She  will  become  unconscious  and  cease  to  suffer 
before  the  end.  Ah,  if  it  were  but  possible  to  get  Judson 
back  to  Ava ! 

NuBSE.  I  believe  if  he  were  to  come,  she  would  re- 
cover yet.  Her  whole  soul  seems  to  bang  on  her  longing 
for  his  presence. 

Surgeon.    Yes.    It  is  piteous.     (Goes  out.) 

Mrs.  Judson  (who  has  lain  with  her  head  reclining 
on  her  arm  and  with  closed  eyes,  opens  them  and  ex- 
claims) .    I  want  my  baby.    Where  is  she  ? 

Nurse  goes  out,  and  returns  bringing  the  child  in  a 
light,  straw  cradle,  which  she  places  on  the  floor  beside 
the  couch.  Mrs.  Judson  looJcs  down,  bracing  her  head 
with  one  thin,  trembling  hand. 

Mrs.  Judson.  How  sweet  she  is!  How  well  she 
sleeps,  my  white  little  child !  She  is  surely  better  now. 
I  must  write  him  to-day,  so  that  he  will  not  be  grieving. 
I  must  tell  him  how  she  starts  up  when  I  say,  "Papa," 
and  points  to  the  sea.  Oh,  the  sea  between  us,  now, 
when  I  have  these  pains!  Where  is  the  manuscript? 
Did  Moung  Ing  search  for  it? 

Nurse.  The  manuscript  is  perfectly  safe  now.  It 
is  in  the  Teacher's  desk.  Moung  Ing  found  it,  you  re- 
member, in  the  prison-yard  and  brought  it  here.  Have 
no  fear. 

Mrs.  Judson  (looTcs  steadily  at  her,  smiles  faintly). 
Have  no  fear!  I  have  fear  always  of  that  jailer  with 
the  branded  face.    {Shudders  and  covers  her  face.) 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  111 

KiTBSE.  You  will  never  see  him  again.  There  is 
nothing  yon  need  fear  now,  nothing,  dear  lady. 

Mrs.  Judson  (moans).  But  the  Teacher  is  long,  long 
in  coming,  and  the  new  missionaries  are  long  in  coming. 
I  am  alone.  I  must  die  alone.  It  is  the  will  of  God. 
Tell  the  Teacher  that  I  could  not  write.  The  disease, 
you  see,  is  most  violent.  I  fear  that  I  cannot  bear  the 
pains.  O  my  God,  suffer  me  not  for  any  pains  of 
death  to  fall  away  from  the«.  Oh,  for  greater  willing- 
ness to  suffer !  Joy  cometh,  joy  cometh  in  the  morning. 
Do  you  believe  that  is  true  ?  I  will  go  up  to  the  Golden 
Feet  and  lift  up  my  eyes  to  the  Golden  Face,  and  ask 
for  the  fetters,  for  the  five  fetters  to  be  taken  off.  They 
cut  deep !    See  the  poor,  bruised  ankle ! 

I^UESE.  Mr.  Judson  has  no  fetters  now  on  his  feet, 
you  remember. 

Mes.  Judson  (starting  and  staring) .  Oh,  no.  I  was 
confused.  I  am  ashamed  of  my  despondency.  You  see 
{with  a  confidential  tone),  I  thought  because  my 
troubles  had  lasted  so  long,  that  they  would  never  end. 
I  thought  the  night  would  have  no  dawn.  That  is  wrong. 
There  will  be  light  when  the  Teacher  comes.  But 
months  pass  and  never  a  letter.  Let  me  see — it  was  two 
years  and  a  half  when  we  first  came,  before  any  letters 
from  home  reached  us.  I  ought  not  to  mind.  .  .  . 
Hush,  precious  baby,  papa  is  praying.  You  must  not 
call  him  now.  See — she  smiles  when  she  hears  his 
name.  .  .  .  Tell  him  I  suffer;  tell  him  that  all  that  is 
left  now  of  his  Nancy  is  only  his  and  God's.  I  think 
there  is  nothing  now  of  what  used  to  be  Ann  Hasseltine. 
You  see,  I  have  rambled,  rambled,  and  rambled,  and 
you  lose  yourself  so  by  and  by.  .  .  .  Mother  said  I 
was  always  rambling;  she  wanted  me  to  come  home 
straight  from  school,  but  Harriet  and  I  liked  to  go 


112  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

down  to  the  riveo*.  For  there  are  violets  growing  on 
the  bank ;  .  .  .  you  can  see  how  the  grass  is  quite  bine 
with  them.  How  fast  the  river  flows,  and  how  the  little 
waves  dance  in  the  sun !  Harriet  said  my  feet  danced 
like  waves  and  never  tired.  That  was  when  I  had  never 
seen  fetters,  you  know.  .  .  .  The  river  is  black  now, 
and  roaring.  It  rises.  It  sweepe  my  sweet  Harriet 
away  in  its  flood.  Come  back !  Come  back !  .  .  .  She 
does  not  hear  me.  ...  I  saw  her  face  plainly,  ISTurse. 

NuESE.    You  saw  it  ? 

Mes.  Judson.  Yes,  she  looked  as  she  did  that  day 
in  the  church  in  Salem,  with  her  big  eyes  so  dark  and 
solemn.  .  .  .  That  night  on  the  "Caravan"  we  four 
sang  every  hymn  we  loved 

Jesus,  at  thy  command 

I  launch  into  the  deep; 
And  leave  my  native  land 

Where  sin  lulls  all  asleep. 

That  was  my  favourite.     (Repeats.) 

Jesus,  at  thy  command 
I  launch  into  the  deep. 

IN'uESE  (offering  medicine  vn  a  glass).  Will  you  not 
drink  this  now,  and  try  to  sleep  a  little  while?  It  is 
night,  you  know,  and  time  to  sleep. 

Mes.  Judson  (looking  steadfastly  at  T^er).  But,  you 
know,  it  is  in  my  heart  to  live  and  die  with  the  Burmans. 
How  hard,  how  hard  it  seems  to  get  passage  to  Burma ! 
Yes,  it  is  growing  dark,  but  I  will  embark  in  the  little 
boat  and  try  to  overtake  the  ship.  We  have  to  row 
against  the  tide.  It  is  ao  difficult,  and  the  ship  is  far 
off. 

!N"uRSE.    Yes,  you  are  too  tired.    You  must  sleep  now. 


THE  APOSTLE  TO  BURMA  113 

Mbs.  Judson  (talcing  the  glass  in  one  hand,  pointing 
with  the  other).  But  there  are  the  lights  of  the  ship. 
I  can  hear  the  waves  now.  You  will  bo  good  to  my 
baby? 

I^URSE.  Do  you  suffer  more  ?  Is  the  pain  harder  to 
bear? 

Mes.  Judson.  l^o.  I  feel  quite  well  now,  only  very 
weak.    Tell  the  Teacher  that  I  could  not  write. 

Curiam. 


Part  Three:  THE  VANGUARD  (Continued) 


"In  every  place  to  which  the  CrosB  has  gone,  it  has  turned 
the  desert  into  a  garden ;  in  every  place  to  which  the  Crescent 
has  gone,  it  has  turned  the  garden  into  a  desert." 

Percy  De<inner. 

"When  the  history  of  the  great  African  states  of  the  future 
Gonies  to  be  written,  the  arrival  of  the  first  missionaries  will, 
with  many  of  these  new  nations,  be  the  first  historical  event 
in  their  annals.  .  .  .  Who  can  say,  with  the  present  condi- 
tion of  the  natives  in  South  Africa  to  consider,  with  the 
gradual  civilisation  of  Western  Africa,  that  missionary  work 
has  been  anything  but  a  success  in  the  Dark  Continent?" 

Sir  H.  H.  Johnston. 

"Is  the  Bantu  capable  of  accepting  such  a  high  and 
spiritual  religion?  I  answer.  Yes.  Their  intelligence  can 
understand  the  Gospel  of  the  Father  Who  is  in  Heaven.  .  .  . 
That  their  heart  is  able  to  grasp  it  by  faith — the  only  con- 
dition of  entrance  into  the  Kingdom  of  God — is  proved  by 

a  thousand  instances."  -rr       -at       j 

Henn  A.  Junod. 

"A  medical  missionary  is  a  missionary  and  a  half,  or 
rather  I  should  say,  a  double  missionary." 

Bolert  Moffat. 

"I  have  travelled  for  more  than  seven  years  in  Asia,  and  as 
a  traveller  entirely  unconnected  with  missions  except  by 
sympathy  and  interest.  As  a  traveller,  I  desire  to  bear  the 
very  strongest  testimony  that  can  be  borne  to  the  blessings 
of  medical  missions  wherever  they  can  be  carried  on  as  they 
ought  to  be."  j^^^^j^  ^.^^  ^^j^^^^ 

"When  I  find  a  field  too  hard  for  a  man,  I  put  in  a 
woman."  / 

Bishop  Taylor. 


I 

APOSTLES  TO  THE  TUEKISH  EMPIRE 

Constantinople,  Ancient  Byzantium,  known  as  tlie 
"Eye  of  the  World,"  ranks  in  historic  importance  aa 
the  world's  fourth  greatest  city,  historically,  Jerusalem, 
Athens  and  Rome  only  outranking  it.  Its  story  is  not 
finished.    Even  now  it  is  conspicuously  in  the  making. 

For  over  a  thousand  years,  Constantinople  was  the 
fountain-head  of  Eastern  Christianity.  It  has  become 
the  head-centre  of  Islam.  In  1453  the  city  which  had 
undergone  27  sieges  was  conquered  by  the  Ottoman 
Turks.  It  remains,  nominally  at  least,  to-day  their 
capital. 

It  is  needlesa  to  describe  modem  Turkey.  Islam, 
wherever  it  obtains  rule,  creates  conditions  of  life 
barely  endurable  for  non-Moslem  people.  Mohamme- 
danism is  corrupt  to  the  very  core.  It  has  probably  the 
most  degrading  influence  upon  its  followers  of  any 
Oriental  cult  save  Hinduism.  Slavery,  cruelty,  con- 
tempt of  human  life,  fierce  fanaticism,  remain  to-day,  aa 
they  were  thirteen  centuries  ago,  the  hall-marks.  The 
very  fact,  however,  that  Islam  is  monotheistic  and  non- 
idolatrous,  while  it  crj'-stallises  its  resistance  to  the  Gos- 
pel, appears  on  the  surface  to  render  it  more  akin  to 
Christianity.  This  may  be  one  of  the  causes  for  the 
fact  that  in  the  Renaissance  of  Missionary  zeal  of  the 
late  eighteenth  and  early  nineteenth  centuries,  no  mis- 
sion in  purely  Mohammedan  lands  was  begun  by  the 

117 


118  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

newly  constituted  English  Societies.  This  privilege  was 
reserved  for  an  American  group,  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 

At  Andover  Academy,  Massachusetts,  about  1812, 
there  was  a  boy  named  William  Goodell  who  had 
plodded  his  way,  with'^his  trunk  strapped  on  his  back, 
sixty  miles  to  get  to  the  Academy.  He  had  neither 
money  nor  credit,  but  he  had  a  father  and  mother  of 
the  old  Puritan  type  who  believed  in  the  supreme  value 
of  two  things — the  Gospel  and  Education.  Also  he 
had  an  uncle  in  Vermont,  less  poor  than  they,  who  wrote 
laconically  to  the  principal  of  the  Academy  to  ask  "if 
the  boy  was  worth  raising."  Inferentially,  the  average 
boy  was  not.  In  this  instance  the  uncle  was  so  well 
satisfied  that  he  made  William's  education  a  possibility. 

Joining  the  famous  missionary  band  at  Andover, 
founded  by  the  immortal  "haystack  missionaries,"  the 
youth  chose  Foreign  Missions  for  his  field  of  work  and 
was  appointed  to  labour  in  Jerusalem.  He  sailed  in 
November,  1822.  Finding  political  conditions  un- 
settled in  Palestine,  he  and  his  wife  established  them- 
selves at  Beirut. 

Mr.  Goodell  was  not  the  first  missionary  sent  by  his 
Board  to  Syria.  Messrs.  Pliny  Fiske  and  Levi  Par- 
sons in  1821  had  attempted  to  establish  a  mission  in 
Jerusalem.  The  Rev.  Jonas  King,  who  for  many  years 
thereafter  conducted  Christian  work  in  Greece,  was 
briefly  associated  with  these  forerunners.  Owing  to 
the  death  of  Mr.  Parsons  in  1822  and  of  Mr.  Fiske, 
three  years  later,  as  also  to  the  disturbed  state  of  Pales- 
tine, this  experiment  was  discontinued. 

Mr.  Goodell's  was  the  first  of  Protestant  efforts  on 
Turkish  ground  to  achieve  permanence.  It  soon  met 
with  remarkable  acceptance.     Conversions  were  fre- 


APOSTLES  TO  THE  TURKISH  EMPIRE    119 

quent.  The  labour  of  William  Goodell  along  linguistic 
lines  is  indicated  by  a  sentence  in  one  of  his  letters : 

"We  must  daily  read  the  Scriptures  in  ancient  Greek, 
modem  Greek,  Armenian,  Arabic,  Italian  and  English." 

But  it  could  not  be  expected  that  the  order  of  peace- 
ful days  could  be  long  sustained  in  the  Sultan's  do- 
minions. Persecution,  fierce  and  bitter,  arose :  the  lives 
of  the  missionaries  for  two  years  were  in  constant 
danger.  Never  could  they  lie  down  to  rest  at  night 
without  having  taken  practical  measures  for  hasty 
flight  from  Beirut.  In  the  end  they  were  ordered  by 
the  Board  to  proceed  to  Constantinople  with  a  view 
to  a  mission  among  the  Armenians.  This  they  did  in 
1831. 

Ten  years  later  William  Goodell  had  accomplished 
his  great  life-work,  the  translation  of  the  whole  Bible 
into  the  Armeno-Turkish  language.  His  scholarship  as 
shown  by  this  great  service  and  by  his  custom  for  long 
years  of  preaching  in  six  different  languages,  justifies 
the  statement  that  his  name  may  be  fairly  placed  with 
those  of  Carey,  Wycliffe  and  Tyndale. 

In  Constantinople  Dr.  Goodell  laboured  for  a  gen- 
eration, establishing  schools  and  churches  at  strategic 
points,  laying  foundations  for  the  Armenian  work  which 
has  filled  the  eye  of  the  world  so  often  during  the 
Great  War.  He  was  not  only  a  pioneer;  he  was  one  of 
*'God's  forty-year  men,"  and  forty  years  were  not  too 
many  in  which  to  live  down  the  bitter  opposition  and 
persecution  of  the  Turkish  government.  In  1839  signs 
of  hope  began  to  appear.  These  grew  in  number  with 
succeeding  years.  In  1850  a  charter  was  granted  for 
the  Protestant  church:  schools  for  girls,  colleges  and 
theological  seminaries  waxed  numerous  and  strong. 
Thereafter  the  American  mission  work  was  looked  upon 


120  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

in  Turkey  with  conspicuous  respect  There  was  reason 
for  all  this  in  the  man  himself. 

It  was  said  of  Dr.  Goodell  that  he  was  "rarely  gifted, 
full  of  genial  bubbling  humour,  sanguine,  simple, 
courageous,  modest — above  all,  holy.  He  won  hearts 
and  moulded  lives." 

Of  himself  he  said  in  1865  when,  after  his  return 
from  Constantinople  by  reason  of  failing  health,  he 
attended  the  meeting  of  the  American  Board, 

"When  I  went  from  my  native  land  in  1822,  it  was 
to  go  to  Jerusalem.  There  I  expected  to  live,  labour 
and  to  die.  I  have  never  been  there.  I  have  now  set 
my  face  for  the  New  Jerusalem,  taking  Chicago  on  the 
way."    He  died  in  the  following  year. 

William  Goodell's  name  should  be  kept  in  mind  as 
we  read  Lord  Bryce's  opinion  of  Mission  Work  in 
Turkey,  recorded  in  his  volume,  Tramscaucasia  and 
Ararat,  and  now  peculiarly  timely, 

"I  cannot  mention  the  American  missionaries,"  he 
wrote  in  his  second  edition,  "without  a  tribute  to  the 
admirable  work  they  have  done.  They  have  been  the 
only  good  influence  that  has  worked  from  abroad  upon 
the  Turkish  Empire.  They  have  shown  gTeat  judg- 
ment and  tact  in  their  relations  with  the  ancient  Church 
of  the  land,  orthodox,  Gregorian,  Jacobite,  IN^estorian 
and  Catholic.  They  have  lived  cheerfully  in  the  midst 
not  only  of  hardships  but  latterly  of  serious  dangers 
also.  They  have  been  the  first  to  bring  the  light  of 
education  and  learning  into  these  dark  places,  and 
have  rightly  judged  that  it  was  far  better  to  diffuse 
light  through  their  schools  than  to  aim  at  presenting  a 
swollen  roll  of  converts.  From  them  alone,  if  we  ex- 
cept the  British  Consuls,  has  it  been  possible  during 
the  last  thirty  years  to  obtain  tiTistworthy  information 


APOSTLES  TO  THE  TURKISH  EMPIRE     121 

regarding  what  passes  in  the  interior.  Their  sym- 
pathies have,  of  course,  been  with  the  cause  of  reform. 
But  they  have  most  prudently  done  everything  in  their 
power  to  discourage  any  political  agitation  among  the 
subject  Christians,  Foreseeing,  as  the  event  has  too 
terribly  proved,  that  any  such  agitation  would  be  made 
the  pretext  for  massacre." 

Written  two  decades  ago  these  words  have  found 
renewed  fulfilment  in  the  tragic  second  decade  of  our 
century. 

Among  William  Goodell's  brother  missionaries  of  the 
American  Board  in  Constantinople  was  Dr.  William 
Schauffler,  ordained  as  missionary  to  the  Jews,  a  man 
of  profound  and  varied  learning. 

One  day  in  the  year  1839  a  young  missionary  of  the 
same  Board,  of  Bowdoin  College,  Maine,  newly  arrived 
and  struggling  hard  to  master  the  Armenian  language, 
came  to  Dr.  Schauffler  with  a  tale  of  woe.  This  was 
Cyrus  Hamlin,  a  fanner's  boy  from  "way  down  in 
Maine,"  a  Yankee  of  the  Yankees,  shrewd,  humorous, 
practical,  capable  of  making  almost  anything  with  a 
jackknife,  and  with  a  few  tools  turning  out  almost  any 
mechanical  device  from  an  ox-bow  to  a  steam-engine; 
the  yoimg  man  was  in  fact  master  of  sixteen  clearly  de- 
fined trades  and  professions.  But  he  did  not  speak 
either  Turkish  or  Armenian,  and  every  tutor  he  had 
been  able  to  engage  to  train  him  in  either  tongue  had 
been  forced  to  flee  for  his  life.  If  it  was  not  the  Turkish 
authorities  which  laid  the  embargo  on  these  teachers 
in  order  to  thwart  missionary  work,  it  was  proved  that 
emissaries  of  Russia,  Christian  Russia,  were  equally 
effectual. 

The  last  teacher  engaged  by  Mr.  Hamlin,  one  par- 


122  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

ticularly  fitted  for  the  work,  had  actually  been  seized 
by  hangers-on  of  the  Russian  Embassy  and  barely 
escaped  Siberia.    What  could  be  done  ? 

Dr.  Schauffler,  representing  the  group  of  American 
m.issionaries,  went  forthwith  to  the  palace  of  the  Rusr 
sian  Embassy  and  entered  complaint.  Boutineff,  the 
Ambassador,  with  scornful  emphasis  attempted  to  close 
the  interview  by  an  authoritative  dictum. 

"I  might  as  well  tell  you,  Mr.  Schauffler,"  he  said, 
"that  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  who  is  my  master,  will 
never  allow  Protestantism  to  set  foot  in  Turkey." 

Schauffler's  reply  was  memorable. 

"Your  Excellency,"  he  said  with  dignity  no  less  im- 
pressive than  Boutineff's,  ''the  Kingdom  of  Christ,  who 
is  my  Master,  will  never  ask  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
where  it  may  set  its  foot-" 

In  the  end,  in  spite  of  mighty  Russia  and  despotic 
Turkey,  Cyrus  Hamlin,  the  man  from  Maine,  acquired 
the  languages  and  set  to  work  to  do  that  for  which  he 
had  come  to  Constantinople.  But  it  was  foreordained 
that  Cyrus  Hamlin  should  do  a  different  work  from 
that  of  any  missionary  before  him  and  that  he  should 
do  it  in  a  different  way.  Christian  education  was  first 
and  foremost  to  him  means  of  grace  and  hope  of  glory. 
His  first  experiment  began  in  1840  with  Bebek  Sem- 
inary, then  consisting  of  two  students,  Bebek  being  a 
suburban  village  near  the  Capital.  Like  Duff,  he  pur- 
posed to  teach  advanced  students  through  the  medium 
of  the  English  language.  The  students  of  his  school 
must  support  themselves  by  their  own  trades,  arts  or 
crafts  while  "getting  their  schooling."  He  was  shrewd 
enough  to  see  how  much  more  highly  education  thus 
won  would  be  prized  than  the  same  thing  freely  be- 
stowed. 


APOSTLES  TO  THE  TURKISH  EMPIRE     125 

The  curriculum  included  thorough  courses  in  mathe- 
matics, physics,  chemistry,  geography,  history,  etc.,  etc., 
besides  systematic  Bible  work,  and  study  of  the  Ar- 
menian as  well  as  the  English  language.  And  Mr. 
Hamlin  carried  his  point  of  self-support.  It  became 
an  industrial  as  well  as  an  academic  institution,  per- 
haps the  first  of  its  kind  in  Turkey.  Its  numbers  grew 
apace. 

"The  range  of  activity  in  the  school  with  its  indus- 
trial annexes,  extended  from  carpentry  to  chemistry 
from  the  making  of  rat-traps  to  mathematics,  from  sheet- 
iron  work  to  syllogisms,  from  milling  to  moral  phi- 
losophy, from  laundry  work  on  a  large  scale  to  the 
cleansing  of  lives,  and  from  making  bread  on  a  com- 
mercial scale  to  the  making  of  a  superior  quality  of 
men." 

By  dint  of  patience,  push,  shrewdness,  practical 
talent  and  tireless  energy,  every  plan  was  carried 
through  to  success.  In  fact  Dr.  Hamlin's  students  be- 
came such  masters  of  chemicals  and  tools  that  the  Turks 
began  to  mutter  about  powers  of  darkness.  The  mis- 
sionary was  in  fact  in  league  with  the  forces  of  light 
and  of  enlightenment,  for  always  he  was  the  Christian 
first,  the  master  of  mechanics  and  methods  second. 

The  Crimean  War  broke  out. 

Bread-making  had  become  a  prime  industry  at  Bebek. 
Dr.  Hamlin  was  invited  to  visit  the  military  hospital 
at  Scutari.  The  sick  and  wounded  men,  he  saw,  were 
given  bread,  bought  at  a  high  price  by  the  English 
Government,  but  so  sour  as  to  be  sickening  to  the  taste. 
The  missionary  decided  what  must  be  done.  A  steam 
flour-mill  must  be  set  up  and  bread  for  the  English 
army  must  be  made  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good 


124  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

of  Bebek  Seminary,  bread  in  wholesale  quantities,  bread 
of  prime  quality  at  a  low  price. 

There  was  not  a  single  steam  flour-mill  in  Constan- 
tinople. Accordingly  a  steam  engine  and  milling 
machinery'  were  imported  without  delay  from  the  United 
States.  These  were  set  up  by  the  help  of  Ure's  ''Dic- 
tionary of  Arts."  The  labour  was  incredible,  but  in 
the  end  flour  was  ground  and  bread,  good,  sweet, 
palatable,  nourishing  bread  was  made  at  Bebek  and 
delivered  regularly  at  Scutari,  6,000  pounds  daily  for 
the  hospitals  alone.  Florence  ISTightingale,  no  less  a 
benevolent  despot  than  a  ministering  angel,  would  have 
no  other  bread  for  the  men  under  her  charge. 

Hamlin  might  have  become  an  enormously  rich  man, 
but  he  preferred  another  way.  His  profits  went  to 
the  support  of  his  Seminary  and  he  built  a  matter  of 
thirteen  Christian  churches  in  different  parts  of  the 
Turkish  Empire.  Little  wonder  that  travellers  through 
its  remote  regions  often  find  the  face  of  Cyrus  Hamlin 
in  photograph  the  one  sole  picture  on  the  walla  of 
humble  village  houses. 

In  the  military  hospital  at  Scutari  in  1859  Dr. 
Mapleton,  Lord  Raglan's  chief  physician,  chanced  to 
meet  Dr.  Hamlin. 

"Are  you  Hamlin,  the  baker,"  the  physician  asked. 

"'No,  sir,"  was  the  answer,  "I  am  the  Reverend  Cyrus 
Hamlin,  an  American  missionar}^" 

Such  he  was,  a  generous  benefactor,  wise  Counsellor 
and  guide,  a  Christian  teacher  of  a  generation  of  the 
ablest  men  in  the  Turkish  Empire. 

Bebek  Seminary,  removed  to  Marsovan,  could  not 
satisfy  this  man's  ambition  for  the  young  men  of 
Turkey.  A  high  grade  college  at  Constantinople  had 
become  the  end  and  aim  of  his  dreams.     And  he  had 


APOSTLES  TO  THE  TURKISH  EMPIRE     125 

a  way  of  making  his  dreams  come  true.  But  Hercules 
would  have  turned  his  back  on  Constantinople  if  he 
had  been  confronted  with  the  obstacles  that  this  Con- 
quering Cyrus  met.  For  the  Turks  "were  as  little 
in  favour  of  an  American  college  overlooking  Con- 
stantinople as  they  would  have  been  of  permitting  the 
planting  of  an  American  fortress  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Dardanelles."  Baulked  by  Turkish  tyranny  and  craft  at 
every  attempt  to  secure  a  favourable  sight  for  his  new 
foundation,  Dr.  Hamlin  retreated  to  the  house  formerly 
occupied  by  Bebek  Seminary  and  there  in  1863  he 
opened  Robert  College  named  for  Christopher  Robert 
of  New  York,  who  had  become  a  financial  friend  of  the 
enterprise. 

For  eight  years  the  college  remained  in  the  suburb 
of  Bebek.  For  seventeen  years,  the  best  of  his  life, 
Cyrus  Hamlin  poured  into  it  his  tireless  and  effective 
activity,  making  it,  even  in  its  infancy,  enormously 
auccessful.  In  1868,  inspired  with  sudden  dread  of  the 
power  of  the  United  States  Government,  after  the  visit 
of  Admiral  Farragut  to  Constantinople,  the  Turkish 
authorities  hastily  reversed  their  policy  of  opposition 
and  placed  the  property  and  rights  of  the  college  on 
a  secure  basis. 

On  the  commanding  heights  of  Rumeli-Hissar,  chosen 
long  since  by  Dr.  Hamlin  as  site  (but  the  purchase 
held  up  by  Turkish  diplomacy  for  a  trifle  of  ten  years 
before  it  could  be  effected),  the  noble  building  planned 
by  Dr.  Hamlin  was  at  last  erected.  Here,  as  President 
and  Professor,  he  enjoyed  until  18Y7  the  consumma- 
tion of  the  dream  for  which  he  had  toiled  for  years 
without  thought  of  selfish  interest,  for  name  or  fame, 
but  only  for  the  redemption  of  the  rising  generation 


126  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

in  the  Turkish  Empire  from  the  gross  darkness  which 
breeds  superstition  and  sin. 

Eobert  College,  the  Mother  of  Christian  Colleges  in 
Turkey,  is  not  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  any 
missionary  hoard.  But  its  founder  and  head  was  a 
missionary.  In  his  "Impressions  of  Turkey,"  Sir  Wil- 
liam Eamsay  writes: 

"I  have  come  in  contact  with  men  educated  in  Eohert! 
College,  in  widely  separate  parts  of  the  country,  men 
of  diverse  races  and  different  forms  of  religion — Greek, 
Armenian,  and  Protestant — and  have  everywhere  been 
struck  with  the  marvellous  way  in  which  a  certain  uni- 
form type,  direct,  simple,  honest,  and  lofty  m  tone  has 
been  impressed  upon  them ;  some  have  more  of  it,  some 
less ;  but  all  had  it  to  a  certain  degree ;  and  it  is  diamet- 
rically opposite  to  the  type  produced  by  growth  under 
the  ordinary  conditions  of  Turkish  life." 

Among;  those  ignorant  of  the  true  character  of  Chris- 
tian  missions  and  missionaries,  an  attitude  of  slighting 
indifference  toward  them,  of  criticism,  even  of  derision, 
is  often  observed.  The  Hon.  Henry  Morgenthau,  late 
American  ambassador  to  Turkey,  has  recently  recorded 
his  own  change  of  attitude  in  his  volume.  All  in  a  Life- 
time. 

The  Senate  having  confirmed  Mr.  Morgenthau's  ap- 
pointment on  September  4th,  1913,  he  found  it  urgently 
necessary  to  inform  himself  regarding  the  problems, 
social  and  political,  which  lay  before  him  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  mission  to  the  Turkish  Empire.  In  vain 
in  many  high  quarters  he  sought  enlightenment.  "For- 
tunately for  the  success  of  my  mission,"  as  he  writes, 
he  was  advised  to  seek  an  interview  with  representatives 
of  the  various  missionary  organisations   at  work  in 


APOSTLES  TO  THE  TURKISH  EMPIRE     127 

Turkey.  An  interview  was  arranged  at  "that  great 
centre  of  missionary  activity,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  with 
a  large  group  of  earnest  and  able  men  who  could  speak 
with  authority  on  the  problems  I  should  confront  in  the 
East."  These  gentlemen,  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Brown,  D.D., 
the  Rev.  J.  A.  Barton,  ID.D.,  the  Rev.  C.  R.  Watson, 
D.D.,  the  Rev.  Mackaye,  D.D.,  and  Bishop  Lloyd,  rep- 
resented respectively,  the  Presbyterian,  Congregation- 
alist.  United  Presbyterian,  Methodist  and  Protestant 
Episcopal  Mission  Boards.  They  were  even  then  under 
appointment  to  investigate  conditions  in  Turkey.  It 
was  arranged  that  Mr.  Morgenthau  should  cross  the 
ocean  on  the  same  ship  with  them.  Mr.  Morgenthau's 
narrative  continues  as  follows: 

"The  conversations  I  had  with  these  men  on  ship- 
board were  a  revelation  to  me.  I  had  hitherto  had  a 
hazy  notion  that  missionaries  were  sort  of  over-zealous 
advance  agents  of  sectarian  religion,  and  that  their 
principal  activity  was  the  proselyting  of  believers  in 
other  faiths.  To  my  surprise  and  gratification,  these 
men  gave  me  a  very  different  picture.  In  the  first 
place,  their  cordial  co-operation  with  one  another  was 
evidence  of  the  disappearance  of  the  old  sectarian  zeal. 
They  were,  to  be  sure,  profoundly  concerned  in  convert- 
ing as  many  people  as  they  could  to  what  they  sin- 
cerely believed  to  be  the  true  faith.  But  I  found  that, 
along  with  this  ambition.  Christian  missionaries  in. 
Turkey  were  carrying  forward  a  magnificent  work  of 
social  service,  education,  philanthrophy,  sanitation, 
medical  healing  and  moral  uplift.  They  were,  I  dis- 
covered, in  reality  advance  agents  of  civilisation.  As 
representatives  of  the  denominations  which  supported 
them,  they  were  maintaining  several  hundred  American 
schools  in  the  Levant,  and  several  full-fledged  colleges, 


128  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

of  which  three,  at  least,  deserve  to  rank  with  the  best 
of  the  smaller  institutions  of  higher  learning  in  the 
United  States.  They  maintained,  also,  several  impor- 
tant hospitals.  And,  as  a  part  of  their  purely  religious 
function,  they  were  bringing  a  higher  conception  of 
Christianity  to  the  millions  of  submerged  Christians  in 
the  Turkish  Empire,  who,  but  for  them,  would  have 
been  left  to  practise  their  religion  without  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  modern  thought  of  the  West,  which  has  so 
vastly  widened  its  spiritual  significance.'* 


n 

APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA 

Taken  all  in  all,  Africa  below  tlie  Great  Desert  is 
the  supremely  difficult  field.  This  for  the  following 
reasons : 

1.  The  climate  is  in  general  unfavourable  to  the  life 
of  foreigners. 

2.  Physical  conditions  hostile  to  health  and  sus- 
tained labour  are  many.  Among  these  are  plagues  of 
lions,  wild  cats,  leopards  and  other  beasts  of  prey; 
poisonous  snakes  in  great  abundance  and  variety; 
noxious  insects  like  the  tsetse  fly;  complete  absence  of 
wholesome  and  sanitary  regulations. 

3.  The  low  morale  of  the  white  men  who  have 
settled  in  parts  of  the  continent  for  trading,  farming 
or  mining  operations,  and  have  betrayed  and  exploited 
the  native  people  mercilessly,  thus  instilling  fixed  dis- 
trust, suspicion  and  hatred  of  white  men  in  their  minds. 

4.  The  Slave-Trade. 

5.  The  "Moslem  Peril,"  that  is  the  astounding 
spread  in  recent  years  of  Mohammedanism,  once  mainly 
the  work  of  slave-traders.  This  has  now  reached  the 
proportions  of  a  systematic  propaganda  and  campaign. 
In  Cairo  10,000  young  Moslems  are  in  training  as  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Crescent  to  Africa. 

6.  The  character  of  the  native  tribes,  their  religious 
superstitions  and  practices.    They  are  not  only  savages 

129 


ISO  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

and  in  some  tribes  cannibalistic ;  they  have  no  religious 
conceptions  beyond  those  of  the  grossest  animism.  They 
are  literally  without  God.  Furthermore  their  tempera- 
ment is  that  which  belongs  to  primitive  and  undeveloped 
peoples:  sensual,  treacherous,  cruel,  revengeful,  fickle, 
hard  to  reach  with  intellectual,  moral  or  spiritual  sug- 
gestion. They  have  no  formulated  language ;  no  orderly 
social  customs  or  domestic  life ;  no  respect  for  women ; 
no  treatment  of  suffering  or  disease  not  grossly  in- 
human. "They  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  voice  of  love,  and 
scorn  the  doctrines  of  salvation,"  said  one  of  Africa's 
best  friends. 

A  few  items,  general  and  geographical : 

N'early  one-fourth  of  all  the  land  surface  of  the  glob^ 
is  in  the  continent  of  Africa,  i.e.,  twelve  million  square 
miles ;  the  distance  around  the  coast  is  as  great  as  that 
around  the  globe.  Eight  hundred  and  forty-two  lan- 
guages and  dialects  are  in  use  among  the  black  people 
of  Africa.  At  the  present  time  one  out  of  every  ten 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Africa  is  a  Moslem.  There  is  one 
missionary  for  every  136,000  souls. 

^Notwithstanding  these  difficulties  and  a  hundred  more 
which  might  be  enumerated,  Africa,  and  South  Africa 
at  that,  was  one  of  the  first  fields  chosen  for  labour  in 
the  new  Age  of  Missions  which  opened  in  1792  with 
Carey's  call  to  English  Protestants. 

Between  1798,  when  the  London  Society  sent  Vander- 
kemp  (a  volunteer  for  work  among  the  Hottentots 
among  whom  he  worked  successfully),  and  the  year 
1816,  the  number  of  missionaries  in  Africa  increased  in 
fair  proportion  to  that  in  other  fields.  This  work  was 
carried  on,  however,  in  face  of  heart-breaking  obstacles 
and  alike  the  labours  and  the  names  of  the  workers  have 


APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA  181 

passed  from  popular  memory.  The  reason  being,  lack 
of  permanence  in  results.  In  the  year  1816  a  Scotch 
lad  of  twenty  years  sailed  for  Cape  Town  to  whom  was 
given  power  to  leave  a  lasting  mark  upon  certain  of 
the  wild  tribes  of  Africa;  to  give  them  a  language;  to 
bring  to  them  consciousness  of  a  heart,  a  brain,  a  hope 
of  heaven,  a  Saviour  from  sin  and  uncleanness ;  to  make 
articulate  the  vague  motions  of  their  spirits  towards 
godliness  and  God, — in  brief,  to  humanise  them. 

Robert  Moffat,  son  of  a  deeply  religious  mother,  him- 
self a  gardener  in  Cheshire,  after  leaving  the  cottage 
home  of  his  parents  in  Scotland,  answers  in  the  story 
of  his  own  achievement  the  protests  which  so  often 
arise  against  the  useless  sacrifice  of  life  involved  in 
African  missions.  For  more  than  half  a  century  he 
lived  in  tropioal  Africa,  meeting  mortal  dangers  and 
distresses  in  such  degree  and  with  such  courage  that 
hostile  savages  declared:  "These  men  must  have  ten 
lives,  since  they  are  so  fearless  of  death."  iN^o  peril  of 
those  we  have  named  as  common  to  the  life  of  the 
European  among  African  savages  was  spared  Robert 
Moffat,  but  he  passed  through  all,  not  without  sickness 
and  suffering,  but  with  constitution  unimpaired,  justi- 
fying perhaps  the  remark  of  Livingstone  that  "the 
European  constitution  has  a  power  of  endurance  even 
in  the  tropics,  greater  than  that  of  the  hardiest  meat- 
eating  Africans."  At  eighty-three  Moffat  was  described 
by  one  who  heard  him  make  an  address  at  the  "World's 
Conference  of  Missions  in  London  in  1878,  as  "a  son 
of  Anak  in  stature,  erect,  his  features  strongly  marked, 
his  venerable  locks  and  long  white  beard  adding  majesty 
to  his  appearance  .  .  .  his  voice  strong  and  musical." 
The  death  of  this  kingly  servant  of  God  took  place  in 
1883,  in  his  eighty-eighth  year. 


132  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

We  are  wont  to  dwell  with  peculiar  satisfaction  on 
"God's  forty-year  men,"  of  whom  Carey  was  first,  but 
Robert  Moffat's  term  of  service  was  fifty-three  years, 
with  but  two  furloughs  in  England.  The  story  of  this 
service  begins  with  a  striking  initial  red-letter, — the 
missionary's  relations  with  the  Hottentot,  Afrikaner, 
famous  outlaw  and  freebooter,  known  as  the  "Bonaparte 
of  South  Africa."  The  story  is  a  missionary  classic, 
not  needing  repetition  here.  A  few  sentences,  however, 
may  revive  the  impression  of  the  spiritual  encounter  of 
these  two  strong  men  when  brought  face  to  face. 

After  a  brief  sojourn  in  Cape  Town  upon  landing, 
Moffat  started  on  a  long  trip,  his  objective,  the  wilder- 
ness north  of  the  Orange  River,  where  Afrikaner  from 
his  kraal  carried  on  his  wild  onslaughts  of  robbery  and 
arson,  filling  with  panic  the  whole  surrounding  region. 
As  he  stopped  at  a  Dutch  farmhouse  now  and  again 
Moffat  received  sufficient  warning  of  Afrikaner's  usual 
line  of  action,  which  was  still  looked  for,  despite 
rumours  of  a  change  for  the  better  in  the  terrible  chief. 

"He  will  set  you  up  for  a  mark  for  his  boys  to  shoot 
at,"  declared  one  farmer. 

"He  will  strip  off  your  skin  and  make  a  drum  of  it 
to  dance  to,"  said  another. 

"He  will  make  a  drinking  cup  of  your  skull,"  was  a 
third  prophecy. 

Afrikaner,  despite  the  fact  that  a  price  had  been  set 
on  his  head  by  the  Cape  Government,  ruled  by  right, 
not  merely  by  conquest,  a  dominion  in  Great  Namaqua- 
land  having  been  ceded  to  him.  Accordingly  when,  to 
the  amazement  of  all  who  knew  of  Moffat's  course  in 
deliberately  bearding  the  lion  in  his  den,  the  great  out- 
law received  him  courteously  and  invited  him  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  settle  within  hLs  borders,  Mofl'at  gained  not 


APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA  135 

merely  a  convert  but  a  defender.  Yet  there  were  ter- 
rible days  for  the  missionary,  days  when  Afrikaner 
turned  away  from  him  with  all  the  fickleness  of  the 
savage  and  when  Titus,  his  ferocious  brother,  threatened 
him  with  personal  violence  if  he  remained  in  the  kraal. 
But  as  time  passed  both  men  became  subdued,  and  would 
eit  listening  like  children  to  the  teachings  of  Moffat. 
Once  when  Afrikaner  sui-prised  his  teacher  gazing 
steadily  but  unconsciously  into  his  dark  face  and  asked 
the  reason  of  it,  Robert  Moffat  replied  quietly, 

"I  was  trying  to  picture  to  myself  your  carrying  fire 
and  sword  through  the  country.  I  could  not  think  how; 
eyes  like  yours  could  smile  at  human  woe." 

Broken  at  last  by  bitter  compunction,  the  African 
Ishmael  cried  like  a  child.  From  that  time  he  was  a 
new  creature,  and  his  loyalty  to  Moffat  knew  no  further 
variableness  or  shadow  of  turning. 

Together  these  two  men  worked  to  humanise,  civilise 
and  Christianise  the  savages  around  them.  Afrikaner 
died  in  1820,  testifying  to  his  repentance  for  past  sins 
and  his  dependence  on  the  grao©  of  God. 

Married  in  1819  to  a  lovely  English  girl  to  whom  he 
was  engaged  when  he  left  England,  and  who  came  to 
Cape  Town  to  join  him,  Moffat  in  the  year  following 
parted  from  Afrikaner.  It  being  needful  for  him  to 
find  a  less  unhealthy  spot  in  which  to  plant  a  perma- 
nent mission  than  Afrilcaner  could  offer  him,  he  jour- 
neyed into  Bechuanaland. 

Here,  after  several  experiments,  fraught  with  peril 
and  pain,  the  permanent  station  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society  known  as  Kuruman  was  foimded,  a 
station  which  has  become  the  mother  station  to  many 


134  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

others,  and  remains  a  centre  of  light  and  love  and  up- 
lift. 

In  Kuniman  Eobert  and  Mary  Moffat  lived  their 
united  life  and  wrought  their  mighty  work  together. 
Here  he  was  known  affectionately  as  Ra-Mary;  she  as 
Ma-Mary.  Here  children  were  bom  to  them,  and  here 
after  ten  years  of  what  may  have  seemed  fruitless  effort, 
a  great  revival  among  the  native  people  led  to  the  foun- 
dation of  a  strong  native  church.  Before  even  one 
person  expressed  faith  in  Christ  Mary  Moffat  had  writ- 
ten to  friends  in  England:  "Send  us  a  Communion 
service ;  it  will  be  wanted."  On  the  day  before  the  first 
company  of  (X)nverts  were  to  partake  of  their  first  com- 
munion, a  box  containing  the  silver  service  for  the 
Supper  reached  Kuruman. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  an  important  part 
of  Eobert  Moffat's  work  in  Bechuanaland  was  trans- 
lation of  the  Scriptures  into  the  written  language  he 
himself  was  obliged  to  construct.  In  1839  he  and  his 
wife  returned  to  England  in  order  to  put  his  translation 
of  the  IvTew  Testament,  then  complete,  through  the 
press.  (The  entire  Bible  was  later  translated  by  Moffat 
into  Bechuana,  complete  in  1857.) 

The  enthusiasm  which  greeted  the  missionari^ 
among  their  own  people  was  unprecedented,  and  resulted 
in  notable  missionary  reinforcements.  In  a  house  in 
Aldersgate  street  in  London  near  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society's  offices,  Robert  Moffat  met  one  evening  a 
young  Scotch  doctor,  a  man  of  twenty-five,  who  had 
offered  himself  as  a  medical  missionary  to  China.  The 
Opium  War  of  1840  being  still  on,  he  was  awaiting 
cessation  of  hostilities,  boarding  ad  interim  in  Aiders- 
gate  with  a  Mrs.  Sewell.  This  man  was  David  Living- 
stone of  Blantyre.     His  quick  imagination  caught  fire 


APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA  185 

from  Moffat's  story  of  Christian  work  among  savage 
tribes. 

"Would  I  do,  do  you  think,  sir,  as  a  missionary  to 
Africa,"  he  questioned  earnestly. 

"Yes,"  was  Moffat's  prompt  reply,  "if  you  won't  go 
to  an  old  station,  but  push  on  to  the  vast  unoccupied 
district  in  the  north  where,  on  a  clear  morning,  I  have 
seen  the  smoke  of  a  thousand  villages  and  where  no 
missionary  has  ever  been.'* 

For  a  little  space  Livingstone  mused  silently,  then, 
with  the  swift  decision  natural  to  him,  he  rejoined, 

"What  is  the  use  of  my  waiting  here  for  the  end  of 
this  abominable  Opium  War?  I  will  go  at  once  to 
Africa." 


On  May  31st,  1841,  Dr.  Livingstone  reached  Kuru- 
man  after  a  trek  of  700  miles  in  an  ox-wagom  Al- 
though the  Moffat  family  were  absent  in  England,  or 
on  their  way  home,  until  December,  1843,  the  well- 
established  mission  offered  admirable  headquarters  for 
Livingstone.  Here  he  practised  medicine,  studying  the 
natives  and  their  dialects  and  exploring  the  regions 
to  the  north,  of  which  Moffat  had  told  him.  In  these 
explorations  in  1843  he  was  attacked  by  a  lion  which 
seized  him  by  the  shoulder  and  crushed  the  bone  of  the 
upper  part  of  his  left  arm  into  splinters.  As  a  conse- 
quence Livingstone  had  a  second,  or  false  joint  in  the 
arm  which  crippled  him  to  the  day  of  his  death.  This 
injury  had  no  effect  in  checking  his  zeal  for  establish- 
ing a  mission  station  in  the  regions  to  the  north  and 
there,  at  about  the  time  of  the  Moffats'  return  to  their 
home  at  Kuruman,  he  took  up  his  position  at  Mabotsa, 
among  the  Bakatlas. 


136  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Oswell,  well-known  African  hunter  and  explorer,  thus 
describes  the  mission  house  of  Kuruman, 

"Dear  old  Kumman !  You  were  a  very  oasis,  peopled 
with  the  kindest  friends.  My  short  visits  to  you  were 
among  the  happiest  of  my  life;  no  little  kingdom  ever 
had  a  better  king  and  queen,  no  home  a  better  host 
and  hostess.  How  well  I  remember  the  exquisite 
arrangement  and  order  of  the  mother's  household,  the 
affectionate  interest  in  the  wayfarers,  and  the  father's 
courtly  hospitality  and  kindly  advice,  and  the  ready 
willingness  with  which  he  lent  himself  to  help  us  on 
our  way.  Without  Mr.  Moffat's  aid  we  should  have 
fared  but  poorly." 

Mary  Moffat,  when  in  England,  often  found  herself 
impatiently  ''longing  for  home."  When  one  calls  to 
mind  magazine  pictures  of  mean  African  huts  and 
stark  wildernesses  this  may  sound  overdrawn,  but  Kuru- 
man, the  village,  the  whole  valley  indeed,  had  been 
touched  by  a  homely  magic.  Robert  Moffat  was  a  skilled 
gardener ;  his  wife  had  the  Englishwoman's  genius  for 
home  and  garden-making  to  the  full.  The  result  has 
been  thus  described.  "A  miracle  of  beauty  had  been 
wrought  out  of  desolation.  .  .  .  Along  the  valley  ran 
the  watercourses,  overhung  with  willow  and  sweet- 
scented  syringa.  The  pomegranate  hedge  with  its 
scarlet  flowers,  the  orange  and  fig  trees,  the  well-ordered 
gardens  of  corn,  maize  and  native  grain,  all  formed  a 
lovely  tropical  background  for  the  stately  stone  church 
and  well-built  mission  houses  and  school." 

We  hear  furthermore,  much  of  the  great  almond  tree 
which  blossomed  in  beauty  and  fragrance  near  the 
Moffats'  home.     It  was  under  this  famous  tree  that  in 


APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA  137 

1844,  soon  after  the  return  of  the  family  to  Kuruman, 
David  Livingstone  deliberately  renounced  one  of  his 
cardinal  theories  of  missionary  life,  this  being  celibacy. 

Whether  the  object-lesson  of  the  Moffats'  perfectly 
ordered  household  convinced  his  reason  that  there  was 
a  more  excellent  way,  or  whether  their  daughter  Mary's 
loveliness  alone  was  responsible,  certain  it  is  that  he 
wooed  and  won  her  for  his  wife  under  the  almond  tree 
at  Kuruman.  Soon  after  they  were  married,  and  Liv- 
ingstone took  his  bride  to  Mabotsa,  200  miles  northeast 
of  Kuruman  where  he  had  now  established  a  well- 
equipped  mission  station. 

It  was  a  happy  marriage.  "She  was  always  the  best 
spoke  in  the  wheel,"  said  Livingstone,  many  years  after. 
When  embarking  on  an  important  expedition  he  com- 
mented: "Glad  indeed  am  I  that  I  am  to  be  accom- 
panied by  my  guardian  angel."  When  she  was  taken 
from  him  by  death  in  1862,  the  man  who  had  faced  so 
many  deaths  and  braved  so  many  dangers,  was  utterly 
broken  down,  weeping  like  a  child.  In  his  journal  we 
read: 

"Oh,  my  Mary,  my  Mary!  How  often  we  have 
longed  for  a  quiet  home  since  you  and  I  were  cast  drift 
at  Kolobeng."  Again :  "My  dear,  dear  Mary  has  been 
this  evening  a  fortnight  in  heaven.  For  the  first  time 
in  my  life  I  feel  willing  to  die." 

The  thirty  years  of  David  Livingstone's  African  life 
were  controlled  by  three  forces  closely  interlinked ;  each 
of  these  deserves  the  characterisation  of  master-passion. 

First  and  last  and  always  he  was  the  Christian  misr 
sionary — and  as  such  he  regarded  himself  to  the  end. 
In  1858,  when  in  England,  in  an  address  in  the  Senate- 


1S8  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

house  of  Cambridge  University,  he  spoke  these  mem- 
orable words : 

"The  sort  of  men  who  are  wanted  for  missionaries 
are  such  as  I  see  before  me.  ...  I  beg  to  direct  your 
attention  to  Africa.  I  know  that  in  a  few  years  I  shall 
be  cut  off  in  that  country,  which  is  now  open.  I  go 
back  to  Africa  to  try  to  open  a  path  for  Commerce  and 
Christianity:  do  you  carry  out  the  work  which  I  have 
begun.    I  leave  it  with  you." 

By  reason  of  a  curiously  suggestive  personal  tendency 
on  Livingstone's  part.,  he  did  not  permanently  serve  in 
the  capacity  of  medical  missionary,  although  always 
putting  his  knowledge  of  medicine  and  surgery  at  the 
disposal  of  those  in  immediate  need  with  whom  his 
expeditions  brought  him  in  contact.  Livingstone,  in  a 
letter  to  a  friend,  has  given  us  himself  the  explanation 
of  this  change  of  purpose, 

"I  feel  it  to  bo  my  duty  to  have  as  little  to  do  with 
it  (viz :  medicine  and  the  treatment  of  disease)  as  poa- 
sible.  I  shall  attend  to  none  but  severe  cases  in  the 
future,  and  my  reasons  for  this  determination  are,  I 
think,  good.  The  spiritual  amelioration  of  the  people 
is  the  object  for  which  I  came.  .  ,  .  And  I  know  that  if 
I  gave  much  attention  to  medicine  and  medical  studies, 
something  like  a  sort  of  mania  which  seized  me  soon 
after  I  began  the  study  of  anatomy  would  increase,  and 
I  fear  would  gain  so  much  power  over  me  as  to  make 
me  perhaps  a  very  good  doctor,  but  a  useless  drone  of  a 
missionary.  I  feel  the  self-denial  this  requires  very 
much,  but  it  is  the  only  real  sacrifice  I  have  been  called 
on  to  make,  and  I  shall  try  to  make  it  willingly." 
(1843.) 

Next  to  the  missionary  motive  in  its  control  over 
Livingstone's    life,    was    the    imperative    of   his   bent 


APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA  139 

towards  science  and  exploration.  This  broke  out  with 
full  force  from  the  baffling  conditions  surrounding  the 
missionary  enterprise  in  Africa.  Emphatically  Africa 
was  the  Dark  Continent,  its  interior  unknown,  unre- 
deemed in  every  sense.  In  the  name  of  God  and  hvr 
inanity  it  must  he  entered,  searched  out,  lighted  up.  In 
his  heart  Livingstone  knew  himself  the  man  who  could 
do  it.  But  he  could  not,  at  the  same  time,  build  school- 
houses,  conduct  meetings,  construct  new  languages  and 
translate  the  Scriptures  into  them.  The  static  work  of 
the  missionary  was  not  his,  but  Moffat's.  To  every  man 
his  work. 

The  discovery  of  the  Zambesi  River  by  Livingstone 
in  1851  was  followed  by  a  succession  of  astronomical, 
geological  and  geographical  observations  of  highest  value 
in  the  years  next  following,  when  he  now,  for  the  first 
time,  apprehended  the  true  form  of  the  river  systems 
and  the  Continent. 

These  explorations  culminated  in  1855  with  the  most 
spectacular  discovery,  that  of  the  Victoria  Falls  of  the 
Zambesi.  After  this  journey,  not  only  one  of  the  most 
difficult  but  one  of  the  most  important  on  record  in  ita 
bearing  on  all  departments  of  natural  science,  Central 
Africa,  hitherto  virtually  a  blank  from  Kuruman  to 
Timbuctoo,  was  no  longer  unknown.  The  blank  was 
replaced  by  a  definitely  drawn  map.  That  map,  to  Liv- 
ingstone's mind,  was  drawn  not  primarily  for  trade  but 
for  missions. 

In  his  journals,  Livingstone  records  his  innermost 
sensations,  his  own  inimitable  strain  of  swiftly  flashing 
reaction  from  mood  to  mood,  from  vision  to  vision,  a 
strain  in  which  the  whole  temper  of  the  Scotchman, 
from  John  Knox  to  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  seems  re- 
vealed.   Here  are  a  few  lines,  vmtten  when  in  imminent 


140  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

peril  of  his  life,  at  the  Confluence  of  the  Loangwa  and 
Zambesi,  on  January  14th,  185G,  a  few  months  after 
he  had  received  the  gold  medal  of  the  Royal  Geographi- 
cal Society,  its  highest  honour. 

"Thank  God  for  his  great  mercies  thus  far.  How 
soon  I  may  be  called  to  stand  before  Him,  my  righteous 
Judge,  I  know  not.  .  .  .  O  Jesus,  grant  me  resignation 
to  die  well,  and  entire  reliance  on  thy  powerful  hand. 
On  thy  Word  alone  I  lean.  But  wilt  thou  permit  me 
to  plead  for  Africa?  The  cause  is  thine.  What  an 
impulse  will  be  given  to  the  idea  that  Africa  is  not  open 
if  I  perish  now!  See,  O  Lord,  how  the  heathen  rise 
up  against  me,  as  they  did  to  Thy  Son.  I  commit  my 
way  unto  Thee. 

"Leave  me  not,  forsake  me  not.  I  cast  myself  and 
all  my  cares  down  at  thy  feet.  Thou  knowest  all  I  need 
for  time  and  for  Eternity. 

"It  seems  a  pity  that  the  important  facts  about  the 
two  healthy  longitudinal  ridges  should  not  become 
known  in  Christendom.  Thy  will  be  done.  .  .  .  They 
will  not  furnish  me  with  more  canoes  than  two.  I 
leave  my  cause  and  all  my  concerns  in  the  hands  of 
God,  my  gracious  Saviour,  the  friend  of  sinners. 

"Evcnmg — Felt  much  turmoil  of  spirit  in  view  of 
having  all  my  plans  for  the  welfare  of  this  great  region 
and  teeming  population  knocked  in  the  head  by  savages 
to-morrow.  But  I  read  that  Jesus  came  and  said:  'All 
power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye 
therefore  and  teach  all  nations  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  al- 
vmys  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.'  It  is  the  word  of 
a  gentleman  of  the  most  sacred  and  strictest  honour  and 
there  is  an  end  on't.  I  will  not  cross  furtively  by  night, 
as  I  intended.     It  would  appear  as  flight,  and  should 


APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA  141 

such  a  man  as  I  flee?  ^aj,  verily,  I  shall  take  obser- 
vations for  latitude  and  longitude  to-night,  though  they 
may  be  the  last.    I  feel  quite  calm,  now,  thank  God." 

The  third  passion  of  Livingstone's  public  life  was  his 
horror  of  the  slave-trade  in  Africa  united  with  his  stem 
resolution  that  an  end  should  be  set  to  "this  open  sore 
of  the  world." 

Filled  with  this  resolution,  Livingstone  again  in  1864 
visited  Englaad,  and  returned  to  Central  Africa  on  an. 
expedition  financed  by  the  Government  and  the  Geo- 
graphical Society.  The  object  of  this  expedition  was 
two-fold:  the  suppression  of  the  Arab  slave-trade  and 
investigation  of  the  water-shed  between  Lakes  Nyassa 
and  Tanganyika.  But  at  heart  the  initial  passion 
worked.  "I  would  not  consent  to  go,"  he  told  Sir  Rod- 
erick Murchison  of  the  Geographical  Society,  "simply 
as  a  geographer  but  as  a  missionary,  and  to  do  geography 
by  the  way." 

The  story  of  Stanley's  discovery  of  the  great  Dis- 
coverer needs  no  repetition. 

Just  a  year  after  Stanley  left  him,  on  May  3d,  1873, 
the  native  "boys"  of  his  company  found  the  "great 
Master,"  as  they  called  him,  kneeling  by  the  side  of  his 
bed,  his  face  buried  in  his  hands,  dead.  His  lofty, 
fearless,  tender  spirit  had  passed  into  the  presence  of 
its  own  Great  Master. 

"1^0  single  African  explorer,"  says  Keltie,  "has  ever 
done  so  much  for  African  geography  as  Livingstone  dur- 
ing his  thirty  years'  work.  His  travels  covered  one- 
third  of  the  continent,  extending  from  the  Cape  to  near 
the  Equator,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Indian 
Ocean.  .  .  .  But  the  direct  gains  to  geography  and 
science  are  perhaps  not  the  greatest  results  of  Living- 


142  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

stone's  journeys.  He  conceived,  developed,  and  carried 
out  to  success,  a  noble  and  many-sided  purpose  with 
unflinching  and  self-sacrificing  energy  and  courage. 
.  .  .  His  example  and  his  death  have  acted  like  an 
inspiration,  filling  Africa  with  an  army  of  explorers 
and  missionaries,  and  raising  in  Europe  so  powerful  a 
feeling  against  the  slave-trade  that  it  may  he  considered 
as  receiving  its  death-blow." 

The  most  conspicuous  African  missions  directly  in- 
spired by  Livingstone  are  the  Universities  Mission  of 
the  Established  Church  of  England ;  and  Livingstonia, 
the  Missions  to  l^yassaland  sustained  by  the  Churches 
of  Scotland.  A  central  station  is  named  Blantyre  after 
Livingstone's  birth-place.  The  grandson  of  Robert 
Moffat  and  the  grandson  of  David  Livingstone  are 
carrying  on  the  missionary  work  in  Africa,  begun  by 
their  grandfathers. 


In  the  solemn  dusk  of  Westminster  Abbey  on  an 
April  day  of  1874,  Robert  Moffat  watched  the  slow  ad- 
vance up  the  nave  of  an  imposing  funeral  procession, 
marching  to  slow  organ-music.  England's  greatest  men 
were  gathered  to  show  honour  to  one  of  her  noblest  sons. 
And  England's  son  was  Robert  Moffat's  son  also,  son  in 
love  and  in  law  though  not  in  blood. 

Two  black  men,  faithful  body-servants  of  the  dead 
man,  Susi  and  Chuma,  followed  the  coffin.  They  had 
the  right.  Had  they  not  led  the  little  band  which  had 
borne  the  body  of  David  Livingstone  from  Ilala  on  a 
hero's  march  of  nine  months  to  the  sea,  fording  rivers, 
crossing  deserts,  camping  in  untrodden  wildernesses? 
Brave  men  and  true,  Susi  and  Chuma,  and  they  had  let 


APOSTLES  TO  AFRICA  143 

no  stranger  hand  disturb  the  burden  they  bore.  The 
old  man  could  testify  that  no  error  was  here ;  indeed  he 
had  been  bidden  by  the  Government  men  themselves  to 
examine  the  sacred  dust.  No  doubt  he  could  identify 
David's  body.  There  was  the  false  joint  in  the  left 
arm,  mark  of  the  lion  upon  him.  The  wound  was 
hardly  healed  when  the  young  doctor  had  claimed  their 
little  Mary  for  his  own,  there  under  the  almond  tree 
at  Kuruman.  Yes,  it  was  thirty  years  since  then,  and 
now  "poor  Mary  lies  on  Shupunga  brae,  and  beeks 
foment  the  sun,"  as  David  used  with  such  pathos  to  say. 
And  Mary's  mother,  his  own  and  Africa's  Ma-Mary,  is 
sleeping  now  on  English  soil.  Could  she  but  have  been 
beside  him  now.  For  David  was  like  a  son  to  her.  A 
marvellous  man  and  chosen  of  God  to  open  Africa !  The 
door  can  never  be  shut  again. 

With  bowed  head  and  dimmed  eyes,  the  old  man  rose 
and  stood  as  the  great  organ's  solemn  chords  died  and 
a  voice  far  off  said,  "I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the 
Life."  His  own  summons,  please  God,  was  not  far  dis- 
tant.   Amen,  even  so  come  Lord  Jesus. 

"A  hard  task  and  the  muscle  to  achieve  it, 
A  fierce  noon  and  a  well-contented  gloam ; 
A  good  strife,  and  no  great  regret  to  leave  it, 
A  still  night,  and  the  far  red  lights  of  home." 


In  his  record  of  travel,  The  Nama  and  Damara  in 
German  South-West  Africa,  Lieutenant  von  Frangois 
gives  the  following  estimate  of  the  work  of  missionaries 
in  Africa : 


144  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

"What  merchants,  artisans  and  men  of  science  have" 
done  for  the  opening  np  and  civilising  of  this  country- 
is  as  nothing  in  the  balance  compared  with  the  positive 
results  of  missionary  work.  And  this  work  means  so 
much  the  more  because  all  self-regarding  motives  such 
as  always  inspire  the  trader  or  the  discoverer,  and  are 
to  be  found  even  in  the  soldier,  are  absent  in  the  mis- 
sionary. It  must  be  an  exalted  impulse  which  leads 
the  missionary  to  give  up  comfort,  opportunities  of 
advancement,  honour  and  fame  for  the  sake  of  realising 
the  idea  of  bringing  humanity  into  the  kingdom  of  God, 
into  sonship  to  God,  and  to  instil  into  the  soul  of  a  red 
or  black  man  the  mystery  of  the  love  of  God.  Self- 
interest  is  put  aside  and  the  missionary  becomes  a  IsTama 
or  a  Herero.  He  gives  continually  from  the  inner 
treasure  of  his  spiritual  life  and  knowledge.  In  order 
to  be  able  to  do  that,  however,  he  must  unweariedly 
play  now  the  artisan,  now  the  farmer,  now  the  archi- 
tect; he  must  always  give  presents,  teaching,  improve- 
ments,— never  take;  he  must  not  even  expect  that  his 
self-sacrifice  will  be  understood.  And  to  do  this  for 
years,  decades  even,  that  truly  requires  more  than 
human  power ;  and  the  average  mind  of  the  European 
adventurer,  hardened  in  self-valuation  and  self-seeking, 
cannot  understand  it.  I  used  not  to  be  able  to  under- 
stand it ;  you  must  have  seen  it  to  be  able  to  understand 
and  admira" 


in 

CEUSADEES  OF  COMPASSION 

One  of  the  hall-marks  of  paganism  is  the  general  con- 
ception of  disease  as  the  work  of  malign  spirits.  The 
treatment  of  it,  which  consists  in  barbarous  means  of 
expelling  the  spirits,  is  another.  Characteristic  also 
is  the  prodigious  prevalence  of  disease  in  all  non-Chris- 
tian countries.  A  notion  has  been  more  or  less  popular 
that  among  primitive  peoples,  not  enervated  by  the 
softness  of  modem  civilisation,  a  high  degree  of  physi- 
cal hardihood  and  health  prevails.  Precisely  the  oppo- 
site is  the  case.  Over  and  above  diseases  common  to 
civilised  peoples,  we  find  appalling  forms  of  suffering 
in  Africa  as  in  the  ISTear  and  Far  East,  due  to  lack  of 
sanitation,  proper  medical  and  surgical  treatment,  and 
reasonable  standards  of  personal  and  public  hygiene. 

India  has  always  been  noted  for  its  neglect,  not  only 
of  sanitary  precautions,  but  in  certain  respects  of  the 
simple  decencies  of  life.  These  conditions  are  conspicu- 
ous at  the  times  of  the  great  Hindu  pilgrimages,  when 
several  hundred  thousand  people  assemble  at  some 
shrine.  No  shelter  is  to  be  had  for  the  greater  number. 
Thousands  sleep  on  the  rain-soaked  ground,  thus  bring- 
ing on  cholera  and  other  destructive  contagious  diseases. 
An  epidemic  of  cholera  will  often  prevail  during  a  Mela, 
in  the  pilgrim  camps,  while  the  festival  goes  on  in  all 
its  ceremonial  pomp.  The  periodical  famines  also  leave 
deep  ravages  on  those  who  survive  them,  in  weakened 

145 


146  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

constitutions  and  the  diseases  incident  to  malnutrition. 

The  strongest  barrier  against  sanitation  and  cleanli- 
ness in  India  is  the  inflexible  combination  of  ignorance 
and  superstition.  The  pious  Hindu  believes  that  the 
Ganges  River  rises  from  the  nail  of  the  large  toe  of 
Vishnu's  left  foot,  then  reissues  from  the  moon,  and 
that  the  nymphs  of  heaven,  by  sporting  in  the  water, 
have  imparted  to  it  life-giving  power.  He  believes 
that  any  man  who  dies  on  the  bank  of  that  river  is  sure 
of  heaven;  and  that  the  sacred  stream,  desired,  seen, 
touched,  bathed  in,  sanctifies  all  being. 

I^ative  medicine  and  surgery  are  often  worse  than 
the  disease.  The  red-hot  iron  is  freely  applied  even 
for  such  trivial  complaints  as  toothache  and  headache; 
rags  dipped  in  oil  are  set  on  fire  and  applied  to  the 
body.  The  cruelties  in  the  name  of  surgery  practised 
at  the  time  of  child-birth  are  such  that  they  may  rank 
with  the  suppressed  custom  of  suttee. 

"I  have  seen  the  people  repeating  verses  out  of  their 
sacred  books,"  says  the  Rev.  J.  Wilkie,  "to  relieve  a 
person  who  had  been  bitten  by  a  scorpion.  They  be- 
lieve in  the  indwelling  of  evil  spirits,  and  when  the 
disease — of  whatever  kind  it  be,  and  especially  if  it 
concerns  the  nerves — is  at  all  persistent,  and  refuses 
to  yield  to  their  absurd  efforts,  then  it  is  attributed  to 
the  presence  of  an  evil  spirit  that  must  be  driven  out, 
often  by  the  most  brutal  treatment,  which  not  infre- 
quently results  in  driving  the  spirit  out  of  the  person 
by  death." 

Among  the  Mohammedan  population  the  general  con- 
ditions are  perhaps  augmented  by  their  fatalism.  This 
is  humorously  illustrated  by  the  following  conversation 
reported  between  a  Government  official  and  a  Moham- 
medan citizen: 


CRUSADERS  OF  COMPASSION  147 

Question  :  What  is  the  death  rate  per  thousand  in 
your  principal  city  ? 

Answer  :  It  is  the  will  of  Allah  that  all  should  die. 
Some  die  young,  some  old. 

Question  :    What  is  the  annual  number  of  births  ? 

Answer  :    We  do  not  know.    God  alone  can  say. 

Question  :  Are  the  supplies  of  drinking  water  suf- 
ficient and  of  good  quality? 

Answer:  From  the  remotest  time  no  one  has  ever 
died  of  thirst. 

Question  :  General  remarks  on  the  hygienic  condi- 
tions in  your  city. 

Answer:  Since  Allah  sent  us  Mohammed,  His 
Prophet,  to  purge  the  world  by  fire  and  sword,  there 
has  been  a  vast  improvement,  but  there  still  remains 
much  to  do.  Everywhere  is  opportunity  to  help  and 
reform,  and  now,  my  lamb  of  the  West,  cease  your 
questioning  which  can  do  no  good,  either  to  you  or 
to  anyone  else.  Man  should  not  bother  himself  about 
matters  which  concern  only  God. — Salem  Aleikwm. 

The  treatment  of  disease  in  China  is  characterised 
by  the  superstitions  mentioned  as  common  to  India. 
Perhaps  a  degree  of  additional  horror  is  added  by 
reason  of  an  extraordinary  callousness  peculiar  to  the 
Chinese  temperament.  Anyone  may  be  a  doctor  in 
China.  There  were  formerly  no  medical  colleges,  no 
examinations  and  no  diplomas.  No  license  was  required 
for  practice.  A  man  made  up  his  mind  to  practise 
medicine  and  did  it. 

The  theory  of  Chinese  doctors  in  modem  times,  at 
its  best,  is  one  of  exact  balance  to  be  maintained  be- 
tween two  elements  of  the  dual  principle,  the  Yin  and 
the  Yang.    Medicine  accordingly  is  directed  to  driving 


148  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Yang  out  and  inviting  Yin  to  come  in.  Of  the  pre- 
scriptions the  less  said  the  better.  Treatment  of  the 
patient  is  drastic  in  the  extreme,  often  incredibly  cruel. 
If  poor,  no  care  is  taken  of  him.  He  will  be  put  out 
to  die  in  the  street,  without  food,  with  little  clothing, 
and  will  be  moved  from  door  to  door,  as  the  person  on 
whose  step  he  rests  when  death  comes  to  his  relief,  has 
to  provide  a  coffin.  An  American  in  a  Chinese  city 
heard  someone  yell  from  a  window  into  the  ears  of  a 
dying  man:  "You  are  not  allowed  to  die  opposite  the 
Telegraph  Office,  as  it  is  a  Government  building."  If 
a  baby  is  taken  sick,  it  is  usually  placed  on  one  side 
pending  the  issue.  If  it  is  death  the  little  body  will  be 
cast  into  the  street  to  be  carried  away  by  the  scavenger 
to  a  common  pit  outside  the  city  walls. 

The  popular  method  of  curing  disease  is  that  of 
pilgrimage  to  some  idolatrous  shrine  of  healing  rather 
than  resort  to  doctors.  At  these  places,  in  answer  to 
much  incense-burning  and  supplication,  a  slip  of  paper 
containing  directions  is  drawn  by  lot  from  a  box.  The 
recipient  goes  away  satisfied  that  all  is  now  done  that 
can  be  done. 

Such  conditions  surrounded  on  every  side  our  pioneer 
missionaries  withersoever  they  went ;  but  thirty  years 
passed  after  Carey  went  to  India  before  the  definite 
conception  of  medical  missions  was  reached. 


A  tract  is  a  trifle  to  most  people,  but  from  the  read- 
ing of  a  good  and  honest  tract  by  a  man  of  good  and 
honest  heart  there  have  proceeded  directly  one  thousand 
years  of  missionary  labour  of  the  highest  order. 

The  subject  of  the  tract  was :  "The  Conversion  of  the 


CRUSADERS  OF  COMPASSION  149 

World,  or  The  Claims  of  Six  Hundred  Millions."  Gor- 
don Hall  and  Samuel  Newell,  members  of  that  historic 
group  of  first  American  missionaries  who  sailed  for 
India  in  1812,  and  of  whom  one  was  Adoniram  Judson, 
co-operated  in  its  production. 

A  young  practising  physician  of  New  York  City,  a 
Princeton  man,  by  name  John  Scudder,  while  paying 
a  professional  visit  during  the  year  1819,  noticed  the 
leaflet  lying  on  his  patient's  table.  He  borrowed  it, 
read  it  and  accepted  its  challenge  as  the  call  of  God  to 
his  own  soul. 

The  story  of  medical  missions  began  from  the  day 
on  which  John  Scudder,  on  his  knees,  the  word  of 
Christ  in  his  heart,  cried:  "Lord  Jesus,  I  go  as  Thou 
hast  commanded  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature." 

John  Scudder  never  dreamed  of  the  offering  of  a 
thousand  years  of  missionary  service  as  the  fruit  of 
his  decision,  but  like  all  noblest  things,  that  offering  was 
bom  in  travail  of  spirit.  Neither  by  birth,  training, 
nor  the  circumstances  of  his  life  was  this  young  man 
predisposed  to  the  vocation  of  the  missionary.  He  had 
already  won  marked  success  in  the  medical  profession 
in  New  York ;  he  had  the  ambitions  common  to  a  rising 
physician ;  he  had  an  established  home  with  a  wife  and 
child ;  he  had  a  revered  father  whose  opposition  to  the 
step  under  consideration  was  certain  to  be  bitter.  It 
was  no  easy  step  to  take. 

In  the  end  Dr.  Scudder  sadly  submitted  to  disown- 
ment  by  his  father,  sacrificed  gladly  every  worldly  am- 
bition, and  with  the  generous  sympathy  of  his  young 
wife,  offered  himself  to  the  American  Board  which  just 
then  advertised  for  a  new  type  of  missionary,  for  Cey- 
lon,— "someone  who  could  combine  the  qualities  of  mis- 
sionary and  physician."    He  was  accepted. 


150  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

A  farewell  sermon  was  preached  in  the  Old  South 
Church,  Boston,  on  the  evening  of  June  Yth,  1819  ;  and 
on  the  following  day  John  Scudder  with  his  wife  and 
child  and  faithful  colored  servant,  embarked  on  the 
brig  Indus  bound  for  Calcutta.  In  1820  Dr.  Scudder 
began  in  Ceylon  his  ministration  to  body  as  well  as 
soul. 

In  1829  impaired  health  made  a  change  from  the 
climate  of  Ceylon  imperative,  and  the  Scudders  re- 
moved to  the  city  of  Madras.  Here  John  Scudder  added 
to  his  previous  lines  of  medical,  dispensary,  and  evan- 
gelistic work  that  of  publishing  and  distributing  the 
Bible  and  Christian  literature  in  the  Tamil  tongue. 
His  later  years  were  spent  in  the  city  of  Madura. 
Mrs.  Scudder  seconded  her  husband's  life-work  with 
devotion  made  effective  by  her  winning  personality,  cul- 
ture and  spiritual  elevation.  A  short  time  before  her 
death  Mrs.  Scudder  confided  to  those  nearest  to  her 
that  her  constant  prayer  had  been  that  all  her  children 
might  witness  for  Christ  in  India.  Marvellously  was 
her  prayer  answered. 

John  Scudder  died  in  South  Africa,  January  13tli, 
1855,  but  his  body  lies  beside  that  of  his  wife  in  India, 
for  whose  people  they  both  had  lived  and  died.  Of 
their  ten  children  who  grew  to  adult  life,  one  died  while 
in  his  years  of  preparation  for  the  Christian  ministry; 
the  remaining  nine  became  foreign  missionaries,  five 
of  the  nine  being  medical  missionaries.  Of  John  Scud- 
dor's  grandchildren,  eight  have  followed  their  grand- 
parent's steps,  and  of  these  six  are  still  in  the  service 
of  the  Arcot  Mission.  And  in  the  year  1919,  which 
completed  the  century  since  John  Scudder  and  his 
wife  sailed  for  Calcutta  on  the  Indus,  three  of  their 
great  grandchildren  embarked  on  the  voyage  to  India 


CRUSADERS  OF  COMPASSION  151 

dedicated  to  the  same  work.  Thus  has  the  torch  been 
passed  on  from  hand  to  hand. 

Altogether  thirty-one  of  John  Scudder's  descendants 
have  laboured  in  India,  while  seven  others  have  served 
as  missionaries  in  other  heathen  countries.  Estimating 
the  terms  of  service  of  these  men  and  women,  with  their 
wives  and  husbands,  the  total  of  a  thousand  years  of 
consecrated  service  is  reached.  It  began  with  a  tract 
and  the  heart  of  a  man.  The  seed,  falling  into  good 
ground,  brought  forth  fruit  a  hundred  fold. 

In  the  year  1844  Henry  Martyn  Scudder,  eldest  son 
of  John,  completed  his  theological  course  at  Union 
Seminary  and  sailed  for  India,  the  first  American  mis- 
sionary's son  to  be  appointed  a  missionary.  It  became 
the  distinction  of  Dr.  Henry  Scudder  that  he  advanced 
to  the  organisation  of  medical  missionary  work  in  full 
form.  In  1853,  two  years  before  his  death,  John 
Scudder  was  present  at  a  meeting  at  which  three  of  his 
sons,  all  medical  men,  Henry,  William  and  Joseph, 
oflBcially  founded  the  Arcot  Mission,  with  provision  for 
hospital  and  dispensary,  the  first  in  India  under  mis- 
sionary auspices.  In  1857  the  Arcot  Mission,  for  a 
considerable  period  manned  wholly  by  members  of  the 
Scudder  family,  waa  transferred  to  the  Board  of  the 
Reformed  Church  to  whose  communion  the  Scudders 
belonged. 

From  this  as  a  beginning  a  steady  increase  in  the 
number  and  influence  of  medical  missions  with  their 
hospitals  and  dispensaries  has  been  maintained  in  India. 
In  a  recent  year  4,000,000  treatments  were  given  in 
these  missions,  accompanied,  with  scarcely  an  excep- 
tion, by  the  spiritual  message  of  the  Great  Physician. 


152  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

The  man  of  whom  it  was  said,  "He  opened  the  gates 
of  China  with  a  lancet  when  European  cannon  could 
not  heave  a  single  bar,"  the  Rev.  Peter  Parker,  M.D., 
was  bom  in  1804  in  Framingham,  Massachusetts. 
While  still  a  student  at  Yale,  Mr.  Parker  resolved  to 
become  a  medical  missionary,  and  if  possible  to  go  to 
China.  At  the  age  of  thirty  he  was  appointed  by  the 
American  Board  in  conformity  with  this  purpose.  This 
was  in  1834. 

Dr.  Parker  began  his  work  in  Singapore,  but  in 
November,  1835,  having  acquired  a  sufficient  command 
of  the  Chinese  language,  he  settled  in  Canton  and  began 
his  distinguished  work  th°re  by  opening  the  Ophthalmic 
Hospital.  Diseases  of  the  eyes,  leading  to  the  very 
common  affliction  of  blindness,  urgently  demanded  at- 
tention. Dr.  Parker's  was  the  first  Missionary  Hos- 
pital in  the  Far  East.  It  still  continues  its  work  under 
the  name  of  the  Canton  Hospital. 

Conditions  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  when 
Dr.  Parker  began  his  work  can  be  negatively  described 
thus:  China,  with  one-fourth  of  all  the  people  in  the 
world,  was  without  a  physician,  foreign  or  native,  who 
had  ever  seen  a  medical  college  or  had  medical  train- 
ing of  any  description ;  without  a  surgical  instrument  of 
any  description  other  than  needles;  without  an  anaes- 
thetic of  any  description ;  without  one  dispensary  or 
hospital ;  without  one  trained  nurse ;  without  a  medical 
school  or  class  of  any  grade ;  without  any  knowledge  of 
quarantine,  or  how  to  prevent  the  spread  of  contagious 
diseases ;  without  any  true  knowledge  of  anatomy,  physi- 
ology, hygiene,  surgery  or  sanitation. 

From  the  beginning  Dr.  Parker  performed  remark- 
able operations  with  remarkable  success.  By  the 
Imperial  Commissioner  of  Canton  and  from  him  down 


CRUSADERS  OF  COMPASSION  153 

to  the  humblest  coolie  he  came  to  be  beloved  and  revered 
in  unexampled  measure.  The  appreciation  of  one  old 
gentleman,  citizen  of  Canton,  was  quaintly  demon- 
strated. Parker  succeeded  in  restoring  his  sight.  The 
grateful  patient  begged  the  privilege  of  sending  a  native 
artist  to  paint  the  Doctor's  portrait  in  order  that  he 
might  hang  it  up  in  his  house  and  bow  before  it  every 
morning.  Dr.  Parker's  introduction  of  anaesthesia  to 
the  Chinese  was  nothing  less  than  a  miracle  in  their 
eyes.  ISTevertheless,  at  first  his  motives  were  questioned. 
Surely  he  must  have  come  to  China  with  some  ulterior 
personal  end!  Only  after  he  had  lived  and  laboured 
among  them  for  some  time  were  their  suspicions  over- 
come. But  when  this  came  to  pass.  Dr.  Parker's  suc- 
cess was  almost  overpowering.  He  himself  thus  de- 
scribes conditions : 

"It  was  after  a  long  effort  that  a  place  was  found 
for  a  hospital,  and  when  at  length  a  suitable  building 
was  rented  and  previous  notice  had  been  given,  on  the 
first  day  no  patient  ventured  to  come ;  on  the  second  day 
a  solitary  female  afflicted  with  glaucoma,  on  the  third 
day  a  half  a  dozen,  and  soon  they  came  in  crowds.  It 
is  difficult  to  convey  to  a  person  who  has  not  visited  the 
hospital  a  just  idea  of  them.  He  needs  to  be  present 
on  a  day  for  receiving  new  patients,  and  behold  respect- 
able women  and  children  assembling  at  the  doors  the 
previous  evening,  and  sitting  all  night  in  the  street  that 
they  might  be  in  time  to  obtain  an  early  ticket  for 
admission.  He  need  behold  in  the  morning  a  long 
line  of  sedans,  extending  far  in  every  direction ;  see  the 
officers  with  their  attendants;  observe  the  dense  mass 
in  the  room  below;  stand  by  during  the  examination  and 
giving  out  of  tickets  of  admission,  urgent  cases  being 


154  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

admitted  at  once,  while  others  are  directed  to  come  again 
at  a  specified  time." 

Describing  what  was  ''all  in  the  day's  work"  for  him, 
he  mentions  one  patient  as  typical. 

"When  the  man,  who  had  cataracts  for  forty  years 
and  more,"  said  Dr.  Parker,  "had  been  operated  upon, 
stroking  down  his  long  flowing  beard  he  remarked,  'I 
have  lived  till  my  beard  has  become  long  and  hoary,  but 
never  before  have  I  seen  or  heard  of  one  who  does  such 
things  as  are  done  in  this  hospital.'  Then  an  oppor- 
tunity came  to  tell  him  the  story  of  Jesus  and  that,  but 
for  Him  I  had  not  come  to  China." 

Within  the  first  five  years  it  was  estimated  that 
8,000  patients  were  cared  for  in  the  Hospital,  many  of 
them  of  high  rank  and  influence,  many  coming  400  to 
500  miles  to  reach  Canton.  Modem  medical  science 
in  all  its  phases  was  introduced  into  eastern  Asia  at 
the  Canton  Hospital,  including  medical  education,  train- 
ing of  hospital  assistants,  the  translation  and  publica- 
tion of  scientific  medical  text-books  in  the  Chinese 
language. 

In  the  year  1841  Dr.  Parker,  on  his  way  to  the  Unit-ed 
States,  visited  Scotland  and  was  entertained  by  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Abercrombie.  His  revelation  of  condi- 
tions relating  to  human  life  and  health  in  the  Orient 
were  such  that  Dr.  Abercrombie  called  a  public  meeting 
to  consider  the  formation  of  an  association  to  carry  on 
the  work  of  medical  missions.  Dr.  Parker  addressed 
that  gathering.  As  a  consequence  the  Edinburgh  Medi- 
cal Missionary  Society  was  formed,  formed  as  its 
founders  declared,  "to  follow  the  leadings  of  Providence 
by  encouraging  in  every  possible  way  the  settlement  of 
Christian  medical  men  in  foreign  countries." 


CRUSADERS  OF  COMPASSION  155 

Womanhood  throughout  non-Christian  lands  is  re- 
lentlessly oppressed,  and  in  no  respect  more  cruelly 
oppressed  than  in  the  treatment  of  illness.  In  India 
and  China  alike  the  women  of  the  better  class  are 
strictly  secluded.  Unless  Christianity  has  first  entered 
no  male  physician  can  enter  their  presence.  Life  and 
death  may  be  in  the  balance,  but  they  are  small  con- 
siderations in  face  of  Caste  and  Custom.  Native  nurses 
seem  to  have  had  their  training  in  some  demons'  school 
of  torture.  In  the  early  days  of  missions  the  mission- 
ary's wife  was  wont  to  prescribe  for  the  needs  of  the 
women  around  her  from  "the  missionary  medicine- 
closet."  The  inadequacy  of  the  well-meant  service  rings 
in  the  cry  of  Alexander  Duff,  the  illustrious  Scotch 
missionary  and  educator  who  went  to  India  in  1830. 

"Would  to  God  that  we  had  such  an  agency  ready  for 
■work,"  he  exclaimed,  the  agency  being  "a  female  mis- 
siomary  who  Jcnew  something  of  medical  science  and 
practice/'  Such  was  Duff's  desideratum,  "since  every 
educated  person,"  as  he  further  set  forth,  'Tmows  the 
seclusion  of  Hindu  women  of  the  upper  classes  and  how 
in  their  case  an  ordinary  missionary  finds  no  access." 

The  idea  of  a  qualified  woman  physician  had  not  at 
that  time  entered  into  men's  minds.  Neverthelesa 
Alexander  Duff's  demand  did  not  fall  to  the  ground  un- 
heeded. The  West  changes,  advances,  faster  than  the 
East.  The  women  of  India  remain  to-day  secluded  as 
they  have  been  from  time  immemorial.  In  his  Mys- 
terious India  M.  Chauvelot  says,  "I  must  confess  that 
not  in  the  polar  regions,  not  in  the  harems  of  Algeria, 
Tunis,  Turkey,  Egypt  or  Arabia,  not  in  the  Far  East, 
not  in  Australia,  or  in  Polynesia,  not  even  among  the 
Red  Skins  of  America  have  I  witnessed  a  downfall  of 


156  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

the  feminine  sex  so  irremediable,  so  heartrending  as  in 
the  women's  quarters  among  the  Brahmans." 

Meanwhile,  in  the  West,  women  were  rising  to  claim 
new  rights  and  privileges.  Seventy  years  ago  the 
women  of  the  United  States  in  the  person  of  a  few 
dauntless  leaders  made  their  entrance  into  the  medical 
profession.  There  was  strong  opposition  in  the  begin- 
ning. The  Woman's  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia, 
founded  in  1850,  had  in  its  graduating  class  of  1869  a 
student  by  the  name  of  Clara  Swain,  from  the  State  of 
New  York.  That  year,  1869,  was  an  important  one  in 
this  story.  For  there  was  organised  in  that  year  in 
iN^aina  Tal,  Northern  India,  by  a  medical  missionary, 
Dr.  Thomas,  the  first  class  of  native  Hindu  girls  in 
"anatomy,  pharmacy  and  the  management  of  minor 
surgical  cases."  Also  in  that  year  there  came  the  first 
definite  appeal  for  a  "medical  lady"  (not  a  "female 
missionary  who  knew  something  of  medical  science") 
to  be  sent  out  to  India  to  reinforce  this  native  effort. 
To  this  appeal,  made  by  Mrs.  Thomas  of  India  to  Mrs. 
Gracey  of  the  United  States,  Clara  Swain,  who  had 
just  won  her  diploma  in  medicine,  responded.  Still  in 
the  year  1869,  in  the  month  of  November,  she  sailed 
for  India,  sent  by  the  Woman's  Society  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church. 

On  January  3d,  1870,  Dr.  Swain  having  arrived  the 
evening  before  in  Bareilly,  city  not  far  from  Naina  Tal, 
without  preamble  or  flourish  began  the  practice  of 
medicine.  In  the  first  six  weeks  Dr.  Swain  ministered 
to  over  a  hundred  patients.  In  less  than  three  months 
she  opened  a  dispensary  and  with  strategic  foresight 
of  India's  needs,  organised  a  class  of  native  girls  to 
study  medicine.  In  the  first  year  sixteen  different 
zenanas  had  been  opened  to  this  new  kind  of  missionary ; 


CRUSADERS  OF  COMPASSION  157 

she  had  prescribed  for  1200  patients  at  the  dispensary 
and  had  made  250  visits  to  the  homes  of  patients.  One 
demand  for  her  ministration  has  been  thus  described  by 
a  sister  physician:  "In  obstetrics  more  than  in  any 
other  branch  of  the  work,  we  arc  called  upon  to  witness 
the  pitiful  ignorance  and  superstition  of  the  people.  In 
one  case  we  arrived  just  in  time  to  rescue  a  young 
woman  who  was  being  hung  because  she  had  a  slight 
hemorrhage  and  had  fainted,  and  was  supposed  to  be 
in  labour,  though  she  was  not.  A  ladder  had  been 
brought  in  and  stood  upright,  and  to  this  she  was  tied 
by  her  hair  and  supported  by  a  high  stool  only;  there 
she  was  being  pounded  and  pinched  to  drive  out  the 
evil  spirits.  When  we  arrived  she  had  been  unconscious 
for  some  time  and  was  almost  pulseless.  With  some 
difficulty  we  got  her  down,  laid  her  in  bed,  applied 
restoratives ;  and  she  recovered  and  a  month  later  gave 
birth  to  a  baby  boy." 

The  great  need,  it  was  soon  obvious,  was  a  woman'3 
hospital.  It  was  sure  to  come  but  its  inception  suggests 
a  fairy  tale. 

Adjacent  to  the  missionary  compound  in  Bareilly 
lay  a  tract  of  land,  forty-two  acres  in  extent,  containing 
gardens,  wells  of  water  and  a  large  dwelling-house, 
the  property  of  a  neighbouring  Mohammedan  prince. 
Dr.  Thomas  and  Dr.  Swain  after  long  thought  and  with 
much  trepidation,  set  out  on  the  journey  of  forty  miles 
to  the  palace  of  this  prince  in  order  to  appeal  to  him 
to  sell  this  tract  of  land  to  the  mission  for  hospital 
uses.  They  were  received  with  all  the  magnificence 
of  Oriental  regal  hospitality,  and  to  their  amazement 
the  prince  met  their  timid  appeal,  not  with  refusal,  not 
with  crafty  bargaining,  but  with  the  reply :    "Take  it ! 


158  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Take  it !  I  give  it  to  you  with  much  pleasure  for  such 
a  purpose." 

By  reason  of  this  undreamed-of  bounty,  seconded  by 
Christians  at  home,  a  well-equipped  hospital  and  dis- 
pensary with  clinic,  operating  room,  offices,  baths  and 
dormitories  and  a  house  for  the  resident  physicians  was 
opened  on  January  4th,  1874,  the  first  Woman's  Hos- 
pital in  the  Orient.  That  year  the  number  of  Dr. 
Swain's  patients  reached  3,000. 

The  term  of  service  of  this  pioneer  Christian  phy- 
sician was  illuminated  by  a  second  incident  suggestive 
of  Arabian  Nights'  romance,  an  incident  of  significance 
no  less  far-reaching  than  was  her  interview  with  the 
Mohammedan  prince. 

About  ten  years  after  Dr.  Swain's  first  arrival  in 
Bareilly  the  missionary  household  there  was  fluttered 
by  a  summons  to  its  lady  doctor  from  the  Rajah  of 
Khetri  in  the  next  province,  Rajputana,  to  attend  his 
wife.  It  must  have  been  a  picturesque  scene  when  this 
unpretending  American  single  lady  set  out  from  her 
own  door  in  Bareilly  with  her  own  small  escort  guarded 
by  a  hundred  men  servants  sent  by  the  Rajah,  a  camel 
chariot  for  her  own  personal  use;  palanquins,  white 
oxen,  saddle  horses  and  elephants  making  up  the  train. 

Arrived  at  the  palace  in  Khetri,  Dr.  Swain  minis- 
tered to  the  Rani  (wife  of  the  Rajah)  skilfully  and 
with  success.  WTien  in  due  course,  the  doctor  was  about 
to  make  ready  for  return  to  her  beloved  hospital  in 
Bareilly,  the  Rajah  laid  before  her  the  startling  propo- 
sition that  she  should  remain  as  "palace  physician," 
with  the  privilege  of  opening  a  dispensary  for  the 
women  of  the  city,  and  also  a  school  in  which  the  Chris- 
tian religion  might  be  freely  taught,  as  it  might  be  also 
in  the  palace. 


CRUSADERS  OF  COMPASSION  159 

Sharp  inner  conflict  followed  for  this  wise  and  con- 
secrated woman.  Bareilly  was  her  home ;  there  she  had 
lived  and  wrought,  had  learned  to  know  and  love  her 
people,  had  become  bound  to  them  by  many  ties.  On 
the  other  hand,  here  in  Khetri  she  was  in.  the  very  cita- 
del of  Brahminism  and  of  the  proudest  and  purest  race 
of  India,  that  of  the  Rajputs,  in  a  country  hitherto 
closed  to  Christian  missionaries,  the  key  to  it,  all  un- 
sought, lying  now  in  her  very  hand. 

Assured  that  her  hospital  in  Bareilly  could  be  left 
in  competent  hands.  Dr.  Swain  decided  for  Khetri. 
For  seventeen  years  accordingly  she  lived  and  worked  in 
the  Rajah's  domain,  ministering  to  his  wife  and  child 
indeed,  but  to  the  poor  and  humble  with  equal  devotion, 
training  the  young,  and  without  ceasing  publishing  the 
good  news  of  the  Kingdom. 

Twenty-seven  years  in  all  Clara  Swain  served  her 
Master,  the  Great  Physician,  in  His  ministry  of  healing 
in  India,  the  first  woman  physician  in  our  race's  history 
to  undertake  in  the  name  of  Christ,  the  practice  of 
medicine  among  heathen  women.  Her  place  in  mis- 
sionary annals  has  well  been  called  one  of  immortal 
honour. 

General  Statistics  of  Medical  Missions  are  appended. 
As  we  review  them  we  marvel  that  so  much  is  accom- 
plished, while  we  deplore  that  so  much  remains  un- 
touched. 

India  has  in  round  numbers  a  population  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty  millions.  Here  we  find  under 
missionary  ^  control  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  hos- 
pitals, three  hundred  and  seventy-six  dispensaries,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-two  men  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  women  physicians. 

*A11  statistics  relate  to  missionary,  not  general,  equipment. 


160  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

China,  with  a  population  of  more  than  four  hundred 
millions,  has  three  hundred  and  seventy-two  mission 
hospitals,  three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  dispensaries, 
two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  men  and  ninety-three  wo- 
men medical  missionaries. 

For  Korea's  sixteen  millions  we  have  twenty-nine 
hospitals,  thirty-one  dispensaries,  thirty-one  men  and 
five  women  medical  missionaries. 

The  Philippine  Islands,  with  a  population  of  nine 
millions,  have  ten  hospitals,  and  eighteen  dispensaries 
under  missionary  conduct,  with  fourteen  men  and  two 
women  physicians. 

Siam,  with  about  the  same  population  as  the  Philip- 
pines, has  ten  hospitals,  twenty  dispensaries,  thirteen 
medical  missionaries ;  all  men,  no  women. 

Persia's  population  is  nine  millions,  five  hundred 
thousand.  For  this  number  of  people  she  has  ten  hos- 
pitals, seventeen  dispensaries,  thirt,een  men  and  six 
women  medical  missionaries. 

Arabia  has  a  population  of  one  million,  five  hundred 
and  ninety-six  thousand,  one  hundred  and  sixty-five. 
Here  are  five  hospitals,  eight  dispensaries,  four  men 
and  four  women  medical  missionaries. 

Turkey  and  Syria  show  about  twenty  millions  popu- 
lation. Here  are  thirty-five  hospitals,  fifty  dispensa- 
ries, forty-eight  men  and  ten  women  physicians. 

For  Egypt's  twelve  and  one-half  millions  we  have 
ten  hospitals,  sixteen  dispensaries,  twelve  men  and  two 
women  physicians. 

Africa — a  continent,  not  a  country, — confronts  us 
with  its  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  millions.  For  these 
the  hospitals  number  eighty-five,  the  dispensaries  two 
hundred  and  twenty-eight,  the  men  physicians  one  hun- 
dred and  six,  the  women  physicians  fifteen. 


Part  Four:   ALONG  LIVINGSTONE'S 
TRAIL 


"The  full  extent  of  the  benefit  received  from  the  work  of 
Missions  can  be  understood  only  by  those  who  witness  it  in 
<;ontrast  with  places  which  have  not  been  so  highly  favoured. 
Everything  I  witnessed  surpassed  my  hopes.  If  this  is  a 
fair  sample,  the  statements  of  the  missionaries  as  to  their 
success  are  far  within  the  mark." 

David  Livingstone,  Kuruman,  181^1. 

"Cannot  the  love  of  Christ  carry  the  missionary  where  the 
slave-trade  carries  the  trader?" 

David  Livingstone,  Barotsi-Land,  185S. 

"I  would  say  to  missionaries,  Come  on,  brethren,  to  the 
real  heathen.  You  have  no  idea  how  brave  you  are  till  you 
try.  Leaving  the  coast  tribes  and  devoting  yourselves 
heartily  to  the  savages,  as  they  are  called,  you  will  find,  with 
some  drawbacks  and  wickednesses,  a  very  great  deal  ttf 
admire  and  love." 

David  Livingstone,  TJnyanyembe,  1872. 

"The  spirit  of  Missions  is  the  spirit  of  conquest.  For-' 
■wardl    Forward!" 

Coillard  of  the  Zambesi. 


I 

PHILANTHROPY  NOT  ENOUGH 

With  the  passing  years,  the  new  missionary  move- 
ment  gathered  momentum.  The  day  of  one-man  effort 
passed;  the  day  of  team-work  succeeded.  The  time 
came  when  striking  statistics  could  be  presented,  when 
the  roll  of  concrete  accomplishment  grew  long  and 
brilliant. 

But  underlying  the  natural  craving  for  impressive 
results  by  the  missionaries  on  the  field,  as  well  as  by 
the  churches  at  home,  there  persisted  the  original  ani- 
mus. The  key-note  of  Carey  and  his  contemporaries 
remained  the  key-note  of  the  century.  The  aim  was 
not  to  build  up  large  churches,  schools  and  colleges; 
not  to  carry  out  measures  of  reform,  uplift,  relief, 
merely  or  chiefly ;  not  to  give  out  sounding  statements 
of  numbers  of  natives  added  to  the  churches.  The  one 
supreme  purpose  was  the  change  of  heart,  of  char- 
acter, of  life  in  the  individual  native. 

This  was  the  motive  which  controlled  "God's  Forty- 
year  Men  and  Women"  and  made  them  mighty  in  their 
day.  They  were  indeed  humanitarians  and  philan- 
thropists. That  was  inevitable,  incidental.  First,  last, 
always,  however,  they  were  Jesus  Christ's  men.  And 
before  these  missionaries  could  be  instrumental  in  the 
regeneration  of  savage,  barbarous  and  idolatrous  men 
and  women  there  must  be  profound  changes  in  their 
own  lives  and  characters. 

163 


164  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

To  brace  the  will  of  shrinking  men  and  timid,  tome- 
loving  women  to  meet,  yes,  to  seek,  the  terrors  of  the 
African  or  Indian  jungle;  to  company  with  cannibal 
tribes  in  the  South  Seas,  or  with  the  arrogant  de- 
votees of  India's  gods,  not  for  fame,  or  gain,  or  love  of 
adventure,  requires  a  re-creation  of  heart  and  will. 
Philanthropy  is  not  enough  as  motive  power;  it  calls 
forth  devotion,  sincere  and  noble,  but  its  call  is  not  to 
the  supreme  sacrifice.  The  call  of  the  Cross  is  the  only 
motive  strong  enough.  And  the  sacrificial  spirit  has 
never  failed  of  its  fruit,  though  there  may  be  long 
waiting, — fruit  in  the  transformed  lives  of  natives. 

This  new  life  has  been  gloriously  manifested  in 
strong  determination  in  the  hearts  of  men  emerging 
from  the  lowest  savagery  to  carry  the  gift  of  Christ's 
grace  to  their  fellows.  This  they  have  done  often  with 
conspicuous  results  in  the  conversion  of  whole  tribes. 
Often  their  labours  have  been  sealed  with  their  own 
blood,  shed  as  martyrs  of  the  Cross.     The  foreign 

MISSION  CHURCH  HAS  BECOME  THE  CHURCH  OF  FOREIGN 
MISSIONS. 


n 

FRANgOIS  COILLARD 

"Every  time  I  think  of  the  material  sufferings  and 
hardships  awaiting  me  I  cannot  help  a  feeling  of  fear. 
...  I  feel  my  heart  sink.  .  .  .  Yes,  looking  only  at 
myself  it  would  be  perfectly  impossible  for  me  to  be- 
come a  missionary ;  but  looking  to  Him  who  has  called 
me  I  feel  my  courage  and  my  desire  revived." 

So  wrote  Francois  Coillard  in  his  diary  in  February, 
1854.  A  few  days  later  we  read  the  following  entry: 
"I  can  but  say  O,  my  God,  that  I  give  myself  wholly 
and  without  any  reserve  to  Thyself.  And  the  greatest 
grace  I  can  ask  of  Thee  is,  O,  deign  to  send  me  to  some 
place  where  Thy  missionaries  have  never  yet  been  able 
to  go." 

How  did  this  young  Frenchman,  bom  and  bred  in  a 
Catholic  country  receive  the  impulse  with  which  his 
natural  inclination  was  at  war,  but  which  came  off 
victorious  ?  The  name  of  Eobert  Haldane  of  Scotland 
is  the  answer.  Under  the  influences  set  in  motion  by 
him  the  Paris  Missionary  Society  was  founded  in  1828. 
M.  Ami  Best,  Protestant  pastor  in  Coillard's  native 
village,  had  been  in  personal  touch  with  Eobert  Hal- 
dane. He  had  caught  the  passion  for  Missions, — mas- 
ter-motive of  the  great  Scotchman.  The  daughter  of 
Pere  Post,  Marie,  was  of  one  mind  with  her  father. 
"Her  ministry  of  love,"  said  Coillard,  "reached  out 
to  all.  .  .  .  No  influence  has  more  contributed  to  make 

165 


166  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

me  love  the  things  of  God  and  to  prepare  me  for  my 
calling  as  a  missionary  .  .  .  Mile.  Bost  would  lend  me 
little  books  and  say,  'Frangoise,  read  that  to  La  Mere 
iBonte'  (familiar  title  of  Coillard's  mother).  The  same 
ones,  read  and  re-read  for  the  twentieth  time,  were  as 
fresh  as  ever.  But  nothing  in  my  youth  impressed 
me  like  the  work  of  Moifat." 

In  1854  at  the  age  of  twenty,  Coillard  went  to  Paris 
to  prepare  himself  under  the  Missionary  Society, 
founded  there  by  Haldane,  for  his  chosen  life-work. 
He  was  ordained  at  the  Oratoire  on  May  24th,  1857, 
and  on  September  1st  of  that  year  embarked  on  a  sail- 
ing vessel  bound  by  way  of  India  for  Africa.  Coil- 
lard's field  of  labour  was  Basutoland  in  East  South 
Africa,  then  the  sole  mission-field  of  the  Paris  So- 
ciety. With  Leribe,  a  flourishing  mission  village  for 
centre,  Francois  Coillard  spent  twenty  years  of  devoted 
services  to  the  Basutos. 

The  French  misionaries  were  wise  in  their  work. 
They  regarded  Africa  as  their  home.  There  was  no 
looking  back  to  what  they  had  left,  and  to  which  they 
might  return.  They  purposed  to  identify  themselves 
altogether  and  for  life  with  the  native  people.  Con- 
version of  the  natives  was  fundamental,  and  develop- 
ment into  the  stature  of  Christian  character  was  not 
less  so.  But  they  never  tried  to  make  the  Africans 
over  into  Europeans.  Only  as  the  native  customs  were 
contrary  to  the  decencies  of  life,  or  the  teachings  of 
Christ  were  they  interfered  with. 

M.  Coillard  himself  defined  his  position  in  these 
words:  "The  traditional  religion  which  our  parents 
have  bequeathed  to  us  is  worthless  and  deceptive  if 
there  has  not  been  within  us  the  change  of  heart  which 
is    called   conversion.     If   we   only    required   of   the 


FRANCOIS  COILLARD  167 

heathen  around  us  to  become  good  Protestants,  to  go 
to  church,  and  to  perform  what  are  called  their  re- 
ligious duties,  we  should  have  crowds.  Bui  we  require 
more  than  that" 

It  was  said  of  M.  Coillard,  by  a  fellow  worker,  "He 
wished  to  mould  men's  souls,  and  he  could  do  it  too. 
People  under  his  pastoral  care  bore  his  mark;  some 
were  Christians  of  a  remarkable  type.  ...  In  Basu- 
toland  he  laid  the  foundation  of  all  mission  work  now 
existing  in  the  northern  part  of  the  country."  The 
work  was  strenuous  in  the  extreme,  fraught  with  hard- 
ships, dangers  and  discouragements.  When  the  situa- 
tion at  Leribe  seemed  to  become  too  difficult  for  one 
man  alone  to  meet,  and  the  Paris  Committee  proposed 
a  more  promising  field  to  M.  Coillard,  he  replied 
(1860): 

'^Whatever  these  difficulties  may  be,  gentlemen,  I 
have  never  allowed  myself  to  think  that  we  ought  to 
run  away  from  them." 

In  his  diary  he  wrote,  "Do  they  think  I  am  made 
of  wood  with  a  heart  of  stone  ?  Do  they  not  know  that 
it  is  just  because  I  have  suffered  at  Leribe  that  my  heart 
i3  90  much  the  more  attached  to  it?"  Again,  "De- 
cidedly I  am  growing  too  fond  of  these  Basutoa.  I 
oannot  live  without  loving  them." 


in 

CHRISTINA  COILLARD 

A  great  reinforcement  was  about  to  come  into  Coil- 
lard's  life  and  labour. 

Through  the  influence  of  James  and  Robert  Haldane, 
his  lifei-long  friends,  Lachlan  Mackintosh  of  Greenock, 
Scotland,  was  brought  into  the  Christian  ministry.  It 
was  under  the  preaching  of  James  Haldane  in  Edin- 
burgh, that  his  daughter,  Christina  Mackintosh,  grew 
up- 
on a  visit  to  Paris  in  1857,  Christina,  a  charming 
girl,  of  marked  originality  and  force  of  character,  was 
introduced  to  Frangois  Coillard.  He  was  about  sailing 
for  Africa  and  had  just  addressed  a  public  meeting. 
The  man  and  the  message  made  a  keen  impression  on 
Christina ;  while  once  having  met  her,  Francois  felt 
convinced  that  "she  only  could  complete  his  life." 

Not  until  1860  were  his  appeals  from  Basutoland 
able  to  overcome  Christina's  doubts  and  fears.  There 
was  much  opposition  both  from  without  and  within. 
Her  mother  however,  was  made  of  heroic  stuff.  She 
declared  she  would  "rather  see  her  daughter  a  mis- 
sionary than  a  princess."  Frangois  Coillard,  desolate 
and  alone  as  he  was,  wrote  with  inborn  chivalry,  "I 
do  not  know  that  I  could  do  what  you  are  doing,  giving 
up  all  for  an  unknown  country  and  an  almost  unknown 
husband." 

168 


CHRISTINA  COILLARD  169 

In  !N^ovember,  1860,  Christina  set  sail  in  tlie  John 
Williams  for  Africa.  Her  sister,  alluding  to  the  part- 
ing forty-five  years  later,  said,  "Such  grief  I  never  saw 
and  can  hardly  bear  to  think  of  now." 

The  marriage  took  place  in  Cape  Town,  on  Febru- 
ary 26,  1861.  When  she  met  M.  Coillard,  on  landing, 
Christina's  first  words  were,  "I  have  come  to  do  the 
work  of  God  with  you,  wherever  it  may  be;  and  re- 
member this — wherever  God  may  call  you  you  shall 
never  find  me  crossing  your  path  of  duty."  This  prom- 
ise Christina  Coillard  kept  even  unto  death.  Faith- 
fully, joyously  and  heroically  she  kept  it  through  thirty 
years  of  poverty,  peril  and  pain,  but  of  unbroken  har- 
mony and  love.  One  cannot  resist  a  sense  of  satisfac- 
tion in  the  knowledge  that  the  "almost  unknown  hus- 
band" she  had  left  all  to  meet  was  "indeed  a  gentle- 
man in  the  true  sense  of  the  word;"  that  he  was 
"always  well-dressed,  spotless,  very  particular  about 
clothing  and  manners,"  so  that  he  was  known  by  the 
natives  as  Rama  KhetJce,  the  father  of  neatness;  that 
it  could  be  said  of  him  that  his  kindness  and  courtesy 
in  dealing  with  the  Basuto  natives  were  "very  beauti- 
ful," and  that  one  who  knew  him  long  and  well  could 
describe  him  thus :  "I  know  of  no  one  whose  character 
so  resembled  that  of  our  Lord,  and  in  whom  the  fruit 
of  the  Spirit  was  so  evident." 

But  no  heroine  is  heroic  all  the  time  and  there  were 
days  when  the  bride  was  very  homesick.  Evening  after 
evening  she  would  sit  reading  old  home-letters  and  cry- 
ing quietly.  One  day  Christina  saw  that  if  she  brooded 
over  the  precious  old  letters  she  was  not  really  forsak- 
ing all  for  Christ's  sake.  She  thrust  the  letters  into 
the  fire,  and  going  out  to  meet  her  husband  said,  "You 


170  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

shall  never  see  me  fretting  any  more.  I  have  burnt 
them  all." 

In  the  first  two  years  of  her  married  life,  Christina 
rarely  had  a  roof  over  her  head  except  the  roof  of  the 
ox-wagon  in  which  she  and  her  husband  travelled.  They 
made  the  wagon  like  a  home,  with  a  leopard  skin  on 
the  floor,  and  plants  and  curtains.  Their  days  were 
very  busy;  Christina  had  a  school  full  of  little  Basuto 
children.  Housekeeping  was  difficult  even  for  two 
people  in  a  wagon  and  a  tent.  Christina  had  always 
lived  in  the  town  where  there  were  plenty  of  shops. 
iN'ow  they  wrote  home,  "We  have  no  milk  because  we 
have  no  cows ;  no  vegetables,  nor  fruit  because  we  have 
no  garden ;  no  meat  because  we  have  no  herd,  and  there 
is  no  butcher-shop  here."  In  those  days  there  were  no 
tinned  provisions  such  as  missionaries  in  South  Africa 
can  buy  now,  nor  was  it  possible  to  buy  clothing.  Chris- 
tina had  not  even  a  sewing-machine,  and  clothes  wore 
out  very  fast  in  such  a  life.  At  last  a  house  of  three 
rooms  was  built  at  the  mission  station  of  Leribe.  Chris- 
tina said,  "I  shall  feel  like  a  princess.  We  shall  still 
cook  in  the  open  air  and  sleep  in  the  tent,  but  we  shall 
have  a  place  where  we  can  shut  the  door  and  be  quiet 
for  a  little  moment  of  the  day." 

Life  with  the  Coillards  was  never  devoid  of  happy 
experiences.  In  1868  M.  Coillard,  writing  to  his 
mother,  asked,  "Do  you  remember  the  long  evenings 
when  I  used  to  read  you  Mr.  Moffat's  book  about  Africa 
while  you  stripped  the  hemp  ?  Did  we  ever  think  then 
that  I  should  oome  to  Africa,  and  that  I  should  see  Mr. 
Moffat  and  his  station,  Kuruman?"  Again,  "Kuni- 
man  is  an  oasis  in  a  dreary  desert.  The  gardens  are 
in  perfect  order.  .  .  .  What  strikes  one  in  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Moffat  ia  the  force  and  energy  of  their  charac- 


CHRISTINA  COILLARD  171 

ter.  .  .  .  Our   sufferings  are  nothing  by  comparison, 
with  theirs." 

This  friendship  of  great  kindred  souls  closed  only 
with  M.  Coillard's  death. 


IV 

THE  MISSION  OF  THE  BASUTO  TO  THE  BAEOTSI 

"The  Spirit  of  Missions  is  the  Spirit  of  Conquest. 
Forward !  forward !  The  Gospel  entered  Europe  by 
a  prison." 

These  were  the  words  of  M.  Coillard  in  1876,  as  he 
faced  a  new  and  strenuous  mission,  that  of  carrying 
the  Cross  heyond  the  Zambesi  River.  It  was  a  pros- 
pect to  cause  dismay.  The  missionaries  had  now  estab- 
lished a  home  in  Leribe.  "People  say,"  wrote  Mme. 
Coillard,  "there  is  not  such  a  pretty  well-finished  house 
in  Basutoland  as  ours."  They  both  loved  their  home 
passionately,  as  they  loved  the  work  among  the  Ba- 
sutos.  They  were  no  longer  young ;  they  had  laboured 
hard  for  now  twenty  years ;  a  period  of  quiet  maturing 
for  their  work  and  for  themselves  had  been  their  ex- 
pectation. 

Two  things  happened.  Two  things  which  ended 
their  dreams;  which  opened  a  second  twenty-year 
period  of  labour;  which  changed  the  Coillards  from 
successful  routine  missionaries  into  heroes  forever  illus- 
trious. 

The  first  was  the  development  among  the  Basuto 
Christians  of  a  strong  missionary  impulse.  Basutoland 
was  now  largely  changed  from  a  heathen  to  a  Christian 
country.  The  general  direction  of  native  life  was  to- 
ward Christianity.  Peaceable,  industrious,  orderly, 
Christian  communities  abounded.     A  definite  purpose 

172 


MISSION  OF  BASUTO  TO  BAROTSI        173 

awoke  to  bring  the  Gospel,  whlcli  had  transformed  their 
own  lives,  to  other  savage  tribes,  their  countrymen. 

The  second  thing  which  happened  was  the  visit  to 
Basntoland  of  Major  Malan,  who  arrived  at  Leribe  on 
Christmas  Day,  1874.  He  was  a  retired  officer  of  the 
British  army  and  a  man  of  God,  deeply  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  Christian  consecration.  He  appears  to 
have  discerned  at  once  that  M.  and  Mme.  Coillard  had 
accomplished  their  task  at  Leribe  and  were  ready  to 
go  forward.  His  visit  was  the  point  of  departure  of 
the  Missionary  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi,  the  Foreign 
Mission  of  the  Basuto  Church.  Major  Malan  did  not 
suggest  it,  but  it  was  the  inspiration  of  his  spirit  which 
kindled  the  flame  of  sacrifice.  M.  Coillard  himself 
describes  the  final  steps  leading  to  decision. 

"Our  project  of  extending  the  Mission  was  the  one 
theme  of  our  conversation  as  we, — Major  Malan,  Ma- 
bille  and  I, — rode  back.  One  day  we  were  crossing  the 
river  Key  and  climbing  the  slopes,  when  in  obedience 
to  an  irresistible  impulse,  we  all  three  sprang  from 
our  horses,  knelt  in  the  shadow  of  a  bush  .  .  .  and 
taking  each  other  as  witness  we  ofl'ered  ourselves  indi- 
vidually to  the  Lord  for  the  new  Mission — an  act  of 
deep  solemnity  which  made  us  all  brothers-in-arms.  Im- 
mediately we  remounted,  Major  Malan  waved  his  hat, 
spurred  his  horse  and  galloped  up  the  hill,  calling  out, 
'Three  soldiers  ready  to  conquer  Africa,' 

"Mabille  and  I  said,  'By  God's  grace  we  will  be  true 
till  death.'  And  we  meant  it.  That  marked  a  new 
era  in  our  life  and  was,  in  so  far  as  we  were  concerned, 
the  true  origin  of  the  Barotsi  Mission." 

Exhausted  with  emotion,  M.  Coillard  returned  to 
Leribe  and  made  known  his  resolution  to  his  wife.  "We 
spoke  little,"  he  continues  in  his  diary,  "and  slept  less 


174  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

for  several  days.  Our  conflicts  were  terrible,  espe- 
cially hers.  .  .  .  However  we  fixed  a  day  for  our  final 
decision  and  redoubled  the  ardour  of  our  prayers.  .  .  . 
On  the  evening  of  the  day  fixed,  a  guest  in  the  house 
(ignorant  of  the  crisis)  read  the  ninety-first  Psalm  to 
us.  JSTever  had  it  seemed  so  beautiful.  When  our 
brother  came  to  the  end  of  verse  eleven,  He  shall  gwe 
His  angels  charge  over  thee,  the  climax  was  reached. 
My  wife  and  I  looked  at  each  other  and  understood. 
The  moment  we  were  alone,  'Well  V  I  said  to  her. 

"  'Well,  with  such  an  escort  we  can  go  anywhere,  even 
to  the  Zambesi.'  " 

"  'I  think  so  too,' "  I  said. 

"We  knelt  down,  our  resolution  was  taken,  peace  and 
calm  and  joy  returned  to  our  hearts,  !No,  we  will  not 
offer  Thee  that  which  costs  us  nothing.  Here  we  are 
Lord ;  do  with  us  as  Thou  wilt." 

Poor  Mme.  Coillard.  Triumphant,  heroic,  but  still 
human!  "I  think  I  was  too  fond  of  my  home,"  she 
wrote  her  sister,  "and  too  proud  of  it,  and  this  must 
be  the  reason  why  I  had  to  be  emptied  out  from  vessel 
to  vessel  and  shaken  up." 

And  so  the  "Father  of  ^Neatness"  becomes  Coillard 
of  the  Zambesi,  an  apostle  whose  sufferings  for  the 
Cross  of  Christ  were  no  whit  behind  those  described 
by  St.  Paul  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Second  Corin- 
thians. And  Mme.  Coillard  passes  through  every  peril 
by  her  husband's  side  with  dauntless  courage. 

Especially  painful  was  it  to  both  these  consecrated 
souls  to  leave  behind  them  in  Leribe  the  native  Chris- 
tian who,  from  the  first  day  of  M.  Coillard's  coming 
among  the  Basuto,  had  been  as  his  right  hand,  Na- 
thanael  Makotoko.    It  was  impossible  for  him  to  join 


MISSION  OF  BASUTO  TO  BAROTSI        175 

the  expedition  to  the  Zamhesi  but  his  love  and  loyalty 
to  the  missionaries  never  changed. 

In  1871  M.  Coillard,  writing  to  his  mother  still  in 
the  old  home  in  Asnieres-les-Bourgee,  said:  "The  letter 
I  enclose  from  Nathanael  will  give  you  great  pleasure. 
Since  my  an-ival  in  this  country  he  has  always  been 
a  faithful  friend;  since  his  conversion  he  has  become 
a  brother  whose  devotion  knows  no  bounds." 

A  few  sentences  from  Nathanael's  letter  to  Mme. 
Coillard  mere  follow: 

'Tou  have  sent  your  son  to  Baautoland  in  the  Lord's 
name.  His  love  for  you  tells  us  your  love  for  him. 
.  .  .  You  think  you  have  only  one  son  at  Leribe,  be- 
cause you  sent  only  one.  No,  my  mother,  you  have 
two;  the  second  is  myself,  N^athanael.  It  is  you  who 
have  given  me  life  in  tlie  Lord,  for  it  is  you  who  gave 
birth  to  the  servant  of  God,  my  beloved  pastor,  who 
came  to  draw  me  out  of  darkness  that  I  might  walk 
in  the  light.  You  have  many  children  in  Leribe,  and 
you  will  have  many  more  yet  .  .  .  When  you  think 
of  your  beloved  son  whom  you  have  sent  and  whom  we 
love,  think  also  of  your  other  son  who  is  called 

i^ATHANAEL  MaKOTOKO. 

In  the  year  1903  when  M.  Coillard  bereft,  aged,  and 
threatened  with  blindness,  journeyed  back  alone  to  Ba- 
jfutoland  in  hope  of  benefit  to  his  health,  he  saw  once 
more  at  Leribe  his  friend  Nathanael.  Helpless  and  par- 
alysed though  he  was,  the  old  man's  head  was  quite 
clear  and  his  love  for  his  spiritual  father  undiminished. 
"InTo  one  who  heard  it  could  forget  the  dear  old  Ba- 
suto's  prayer  when  for  the  last  time  they  took  the 
Lord's  Supper  together." 


176  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

The  first  expedition,  tliat  to  the  Banyai  people,  be- 
gun in  1877,  continued  for  two  years.  The  personnel 
consisted  of  five  families  conducted  by  M.  Coillard, 
definitel}'-  searching  for  the  proper  field  for  a  mission 
to  be  developed  by  the  Basuto  Christians  themselves. 
It  was  a  most  difficult  journey.  But  through  it  "one 
£gure  fills  the  background,  that  of  Mme.  Coillard,  pro- 
viding for  every  want,  foreseeing  every  emergency,"  as 
we  read  from  her  husband's  notes. 

^^Our  direction  at  one  juncture  lying  through  a  path- 
less forest,  we  had  a  war  consultation  with  the  Boer 
hunter  and  our  principal  men.  Christina  took  part  in 
it.  She  has  a  power  of  judgment  worth  ten  men.  .  .  . 
When  all  were  exhausted,  after  dragging  the  wagon 
through  a  dry  river  bed,  she  it  was  who  provided  bottle 
after  bottle  of  cold  tea,  a  provision  she  had  made  at 
the  last  good  fountain.  'O,'  cried  the  poor  men,  crowd- 
ing around  her.  'You  are  our  mother;  you  save  our 
lives.' 

"Again  she  is  seen  cutting  out  garments  for  the 
oatechists'  wives  to  sew,  tending  their  sick  children  and 
the  whole  time  carrying  on  her  niece's  education  as 
quietly  and  almost  as  thoroughly  as  if  in  a  Parisian 
•choolroom;  classifying  plants  and  writing  copious 
journals;  or  surrounded  by  painted  savages  armed  to 
the  teeth,  watching  to  steal  everything  they  could  lay 
hands  upon." 

Sometimes  the  water  in  their  barrels  became  so  hot 
from  the  sun  that  they  could  not  touch  it  with  their 
lips,  even  though  they  were  frantic  vrith  thirst.  One 
month  was  spent  in  forced  marches  through  a  foodless 
and  waterless  wilderness  in  burning  heat,  with  six  per- 
sons in  the  company  on  the  sick  list.  Their  camping 
grounds  were  often  surrounded  with  thickets  full  of 


MISSION  OF  BASUTO  TO  BAROTSI        177 

jackals  and  lions  roaring  for  prey  and  creeping  at  times 
within  the  stockade  to  their  very  tent-doors.  And  al- 
ways, on  the  banks  of  the  Zamb^i  swarmed  the  tsetse 

fly- 


y 

ON  LIVINGSTONE'S  GROUND 

In  the  Zambesi  cotrntry  M.  Coillard  found  it  neces- 
sary only  to  call  himself  moruti — missionary,  to  be 
welcomed  in  the  name  of  Livingstone.  He  found  the 
impression  among  the  native  people  made  by  the  great 
missionary-explorer  almost  miraculous;  already  he  yj2ja 
looked  upon  as  scarcely  lees  than  a  demi-god.  M.  Coil- 
lard, on  the  spot  in  1884  notes  this  impression  in  vivid 
and  picturesque  phrases. 

"Livingstone!  It  is  interesting  to  find  his  traces 
here.  His  passage  left  the  impression  of  a  supernatural 
apparition,  and  the  stories  they  tell  of  him  now  have 
naturally  a  legendary  character.  There  was  everything 
to  strike  the  imagination  of  the  natives.  He  was  the 
first  white  man  they  had  ever  seen.  They  say  he  waa 
fine  and  tall  (I  have  never  seen  him  myself).  He  spoke 
the  Makololo  tongue.  He  was  the  best  hunter  ever 
known.  He  was  particularly  fond  of  old  men.  .  .  . 
Thus  he  opened  a  way  for  himself  among  the  tribes 
that  seemed  moot  hostile.  Sometimes  on  seeing  him 
they  would  rush  on  him  with  threats  that  terrified  his 
companions.  He  kept  silence,  let  the  thunder  roll  by, 
and  once  it  had  ceased,  he  talked,  chatted,  distributed 
pacl^s  of  beads  and  bits  of  stuff;  and  the  people,  full 
of  enthusiasm,  would  go  home  and  bring  out  bread, 
curds,  beer;  and  Livingstone  went  on.  .  .  .  Nothing 
could  be  quainter  than  their  descriptions  of  the  magic 

178 


ON  LIVINGSTONE'S  GROUND  179 

lant«m9,  Bengal  fires  and  Roman  candles  which  he 
showed  off  on  occasion.  .  ,  .  The  admiration  and  the 
astonishment  of  these  poor  people  knew  no  limits. 
What  is  certain  is  that  Livingstone  preached  more  by 
his  pure  life  and  unbounded  devotion  than  by  his  words. 
The  old  people  who  traveled  with  him  always  end  by 
saying,  'Nguka  (the  doctor)  ah !  he  was  not  a  man  like 
any  other,  he  was  a  god !  What  footsteps  to  leave  be- 
hind!'" 

A  signal  proof  of  the  value  of  Livingstone's  life  and 
influence  in  the  Zambesi  country  was  encountered  by 
the  Coillards  in  Khama,  the  Christian  overlord  of 
Ifangwato.  His  father,  Sekhome,  had  known  Living- 
stone, who  had  sought  to  bring  him  to  a  knowledge  of 
Christ.  The  old  chief  proved  impervious  himself  to 
such  influences,  frankly  preferring  the  cruelties  and  su- 
perstitions in  which  he  had  grown  up. 

"God  made  you  with  straight  hearts,"  he  said  to  the 
missionary,  John  Mackenzie,  who  had  in  charge  the 
training  of  his  son  Khama;  "but  God  made  us  with 
crooked  hearts."  He  admitted,  however,  that  Khama's 
heart  was  right.  Khama  was  a  true  spiritual  descend- 
ant of  David  Livingstone. 

On  April  27th,  1878,  M.  Coillard's  little  company, 
cruelly  persecuted  by  the  Matabele  and  expelled  by  their 
ruler  from  his  borders,  arrived  broken  in  body  and 
spirit  at  Mangwato.  Klama,  the  Christian  chief,  re- 
ceived them  with  generous  hospitality  and  loaded  them 
with  kindness. 

Khama  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  king 
of  the  Barotsi,  the  famous,  yet  in  certain  ways  infa- 
mous, Lewanika.  He  induced  him  fo  desire  civilisa- 
tion and  to  see  that  Christian  civilisation  was  the  high- 
est mark  of  human  attainment,  but  Lewanika  could  not 


180  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

bring  himself  to  discard  his  many  gods  or  his  many 
wives.  Khama  was  made  of  sterner  stuff.  He  intro- 
duced the  Gospel  among  his  own  people,  having  first 
accepted  it  for  himself.  He  inexorably  fought  against 
the  introduction  of  intoxicating  liquors,  the  white  man's 
curse,  into  his  realm.  "I  fear  LoBengula  (the  for- 
midable Matabele  chief),  less  than  I  fear  brandy,"  he 
declared.  "I  fought  against  LoBengula  and  drove  him 
back.  He  never  gives  me  a  sleepless  night.  But  to 
fight  against  drink  is  to  fight  against  demons  and  not 
men.  I  fear  the  white  man's  drink  more  than  the  as- 
sagais of  the  Matabele,  which  kill  men's  bodies.  Drink 
puts  devils  into  men  and  destroys  their  souls  and 
bodies." 

In  Khama  we  find  the  transparent  Christian  life  and 
character  which  distinguished  Nathanael  Makotoko,  and 
of  which  the  African  nature  is  eminently  capable.  The 
wife  of  his  resident  missionary,  Mrs.  J.  D.  Hepburn, 
in  her  book.  Twenty  Years  in  Khama  s  Country,  thus 
describes  him: 

"It  is  now  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  since  Khama 
and  I  became  friends.  We  were  with  him — my  hus- 
band and  I — through  these  long  years,  in  sorrow  and 
in  joy ;  through  times  of  famine  and  of  plenty ;  through 
the  miseries  of  war,  and  in  the  quietude  of  peace  and 
prosperity.  .  .  .  And  in  all  our  intercourse  I  can  most 
gratefully  say  that  he  was  to  me  always  a  tnie  Christian 
gentleman  in  word  and  deed.  IsTo  one  now  living  knows 
'Khama  the  Good'  as  I  knew  him.  Had  they  done  so 
they  could  but  honour  and  trust  him,  as  I  do,  from 
my  heart." 

Such  human  material  is  still  to  bo  found  in  the  heart 
of  Africa. 

On  their  march  into  Barotsiland,  M.  and  Mme.  Coil- 


ON  LIVINGSTONE'S  GROUND  181 

lard  met  and  made  acquaintance  with  the  famous  Por- 
tugese explorer,  Serpa  Pinto,  who  accompanied  them 
to  Deka.  Here  their  ways  parted,  he  going  on  to  the 
Victoria  Falls.  The  Coillard  party  had  already  visited 
these,  Madame  and  her  niece  being,  it  seems,  the  first 
European  women  to  see  them. 

The  Portuguese  explorer  records  in  the  story  of  his 
travels,  the  impression  made  upon  his  mind  by  M. 
Coillard.  He  describes  this  "new  type  of  humanity" ; 
notes  "the  superhuman  tranquillity  of  his  courage,"  of 
which  quality  he  had  better  opportunities  of  judging 
than  most  people.  What  chiefly  amazed  him  was  M. 
Coillard's  travelling  without  having  recourse  to  arms, 
with  "nothing  but  a  switch  in  his  hand,  scarcely  strong 
enough  to  make  a  way  through  the  obstructing  grass." 
As  a  matter  of  fact  experience  has  shown  that  this  is 
the  only  right  and  possible  method  in  Africa,  but  it  was 
not  the  method  of  the  Portuguese. 

"At  times,"  he  said  (in  his  book  of  travels),  "M. 
Coillard  produced  the  most  extraordinary  effect  on  me: 
There  was  something  in  him  that  surpassed  my  intelli- 
telligence.  One  day  he  was  relating  one  of  the  most 
agitating  incidents  of  his  journey,  and  concluded:  'We 
were  within  an  ace  of  destruction.'  'But,'  I  replied, 
'You  had  arms,  an  escort, — ten  devoted  followers,  reso- 
lute in  your  defence.'  He  shook  his  head  and  said,  'I 
could  only  have  saved  myself  by  shedding  blood,  and 
never  would  I  kill  a  man  to  save  my  own  life,  or  even 
lives  dear  to  me.'  These  words  revealed  to  mo  a  human 
type  quite  new  to  me,  and  which  I  am  incapable  of 
understanding,  though  I  admire  it  with  all  my  heart." 

But  FrauQois  Coillard,  by  his  own  record,  was  by 
nature  timorous  and  fearful  alike  of  savage  men  and 
savage  beasts.     In  him  conspicuously  we  perceive  the 


182  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

working  of  that  influence  which  in  them  that  have  no 
might  increases  power.  He  never  saw  a  trace  of  heroism 
in  his  own  conduct  or  character. 

"We  never  courted  danger,"  he  would  say,  "all 
we  did  was  simply  each  time  the  only  thing  possible  to 
do  in  the  circumstances.  No,  what  was  committed  to 
us  required  no  heroism,  or  I  should  certainly  not  have 
been  the  man  for  it.  People  do  not  know  the  appre- 
hensions, the  inward  trembling  that  /  know.  .  .  .  She 
was  the  heroine  if  you  like — she  never  knew  fear." 

In  1887,  at  the  close  of  the  second  Zambesi  expedi- 
tion, the  Ck>illard3  established  themselves  and  their  mis- 
sion station  at  Sefula  on  the  Zambesi.  For  six  years 
it  was  a  struggle  day  by  day  to  hold  their  post  against 
the  evil  plots  and  treachery  of  the  Barotsi  who  were 
savage  at  heart  although  possessed  of  "perfect  man- 
ners." 


VI 

THE  CLOSE  OF  DAY 

In  1891  Mma  Coillard  died,  but  not  before  she  had 
seen  of  the  travail  of  her  soul.  She  was  satisfied.  From 
the  day  she  came  as  a  bride  to  Leribe,  until  she  breathed 
her  last  in  a  wretched  mud-hut  at  Sefula,  she  gave  her- 
self right  royally. 

"Is  it  not  wonderful  that  Frangois  should  have  had 
such  a  cordial  reception  from  the  Barotsi  ?"  she  wrote 
in  1885  when  her  husband  was  received  at  Lealui  by 
King  Lewanika.  "We  hav«  no  earthly  good  to  offer 
.  .  .  but  truly  Jeeus  is  the  Desire  of  all  the  na- 
tions. .  .  .  The  Framer  of  the  heart  has  seen  and 
answered  their  aspirations  in  sending  us  to  them." 

From  the  year  of  his  wife's  death  to  his  own  in  1904, 
H.  Ooillard  trod  the  thorny  path  he  had  chosen  alone, 
sorrowful  but  with  faith  and  courage  invincible. 

^'When  I  had  followed  her  to  the  threshold  of  eter- 
nity," he  wrote,  "when  I  had  seen  her  already  radiant 
with  the  glory  of  heaven,  when  the  portals  of  the  City 
of  God  closed  upon  her,  and  I  found  myself  quite  alone 
in  darkness  and  tears,  my  heart  was  broken.  ...  I 
shall  never  have  a  home  on  earth.  But,"  he  adds,  "th« 
Barotsi  Mission  has  my  heart.  I  shall  die  in  its  serv- 
ice, if  the  Lord  grants  my  prayer." 

The  fruits  of  all  this  sacrifice?  A  vast  kingdom 
transformed,  peace  and  security  instead  of  anarchy  and 
bloodshed;   slave-raiding  and  slave-trading  abolished; 

183 


184  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

infanticide,  torture,  trial  by  ordeal  and  witchcraft  for- 
bidden; also,  as  an  indirect  result,  a  gi'eat  territory 
opened  to  civilised  government  without  the  firing  of  a 
single  shot. 

Of  his  second  Zambesi  expedition,  M.  Coillard,  at 
the  ford  of  the  Zambesi,  December  12th,  1895,  wrote: 

"What  a  difference  between  the  passage  to-day  and 
that  of  1884.  Then  not  a  soul  in  that  vast  region  knew 
even  the  name  of  the  Lord,  not  one  prayed  to  Him. 
To-day  let  us  acknowledge  to  His  glory,  'the  Lord  hath 
done  great  things.'  We  reckon  five  flourishing  stations, 
and  on  each  of  them  a  greater  or  lesser  number  of  Zam- 
besians  who  profess  to  have  found  the  Lord." 

Two  at  least  of  his  desires  were  accomplished,  that 
he  might  die  in  harness  and  at  the  last  be  buried  beside 
his  wife.  He  died  May  27th,  1904,  in  the  midst  of  his 
work  and  was  buried  under  the  great  tree  of  Sefula 
where  three  years  before  the  body  of  Christina,  his  wife, 
had  been  laid  to  rest.  A  marble  cross  bears  his  name 
and  the  motto  of  his  life,  "To  Live  Is  Christ." 

On  June  1st,  the  railway  reached  Victoria  Falls,  two 
days  after  the  burial  of  the  man  who  had  opened  the 
way  for  civilisation.     The  pioneer  days  were  over. 

"Coillard  was  given  to  France;  he  has  been  taken 
from  the  whole  world." 

These  words  were  spoken  at  the  memorial  service  in 
Paris  at  the  Oratoire  where,  forty-seven  years  before 
Francois  Coillard  had  received  his  consecration  and 
commission  as  Christian  minister  and  missionary. 


vn 

THE  EOAD  BUILDEES 

*  The  scene  is  in  Rhynie,  a  small  Aberaeenshire  vil- 
lage; the  time  is  in  the  year  1863.  In  front  of  the 
Free  Rock  manse  by  the  roadside  stands  the  minister 
"with  his  little  son  Alec,  for  whose  benefit  he  is  drawing 
a  map  with  his  stick  in  the  dust  of  the  road. 

"This,  you  see,  Alec,"  he  explains,  "is  the  Zambesi 
River  running  through  the  heart  of  Africa  into  the 
Indian  Ocean,  and  here  is  the  tributary,  the  Shire, 
which  Livingstone  explored." 

In  this  way  first,  the  lad,  Alexander  Mackay,  just 
entering  his  teens,  found  the  name  of  Livingstone  one 
to  conjure  by  in  his  own  heart. 

Again,  it  is  Christmas-tide  and  the  year  is  1875. 
Alexander  Mackay  is  now  twenty  years  old  and  has  be- 
come an  accomplished  engineer,  surveyor,  mathemati- 
cian. It  is  night.  He  writes  in  his  diary  for  that  day, 
December  12th — "This  day  last  year,  Livingstone  died 
— a  Scotsman  and  a  Christian — loving  God  and  his 
neighbours  in  the  heart  of  Africa.  'Go  thou  and  do  like- 
wise.' " 

He  has  been  absorbed  all  day  in  Stanley's  book  How 
I  found  Livingstone.  He  has  read  of  the  great  mis- 
sionary's gentleness  and  hopefulness;  of  "his  Spartan 
heroism,  the  inflexibility  of  the  Roman,  the  enduring 

*  Passage  condensed  from  Yarns  on  African  Pioneers,  Basil 
Matthews. 

185 


186  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

resolution  of  the  Anglo-Saxon."  Like  Stanley,  his  heart 
says  "the  rruin  has  conquered  me." 

But  he  is  not  through  yet  for  the  night  with  the 
voices  of  Livingstone  and  Stanley.  A  newspaper  lying 
on  the  table  attracts  his  attention  by  the  words  "Cen- 
tral Africa."  He  reads  the  thrilling  call  of  Stanley 
from  Uganda  which  just  then  stirred  Great  Britain 
from  end  to  end. 

"King  M'tesa  of  Uganda  has  been  asking  me  about 
the  white  man's  God.  .  .  .  Oh,  that  some  practical  mis- 
sionary would  come  here !  M'tesa  would  give  him  any- 
thing that  he  desired — ^houses,  land,  cattle,  ivory.  It  is 
the  practical  Christian  who  can  cure  their  diseases, 
build  dwellings,  teach  farming  and  turn  his  hand  to 
anything,  like  a  sailor — this  is  the  man  who  is  wanted. 
Such  a  one,  if  he  oan  be  found,  would  become  the  Sa- 
viour of  Africa.  .  .  .  Where  is  there  in  all  the  Pagan 
world  a  more  promising  field  for  a  Mission?  Here, 
gentlemen,  is  your  opportunity ;  embrace  it !  The  peo- 
ple upon  the  shores  of  the  !Nyanza  call  upon  you." 

These  piercing  words  are  not  all  that  Mackay  reads 
this  night.  In  the  newspaper  before  him  is  a  call  from 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  for  men  to  respond  to 
the  call  of  Uganda,  the  country  to  the  northwest  of 
Victoria  ITyanza,  the  great  inland  sea.  He  is  ready. 
He  lets  not  an  hour  pass  before  writing  to  the  society. 
This  is  what  he  writes: — "My  heart  burns  for  the  de- 
liverance of  Africa,  and  if  you  can  send  me  to  any  one 
of  these  regions  which  Livingstone  and  Stanley  have 
found  to  be  groaning  under  the  curse  of  the  slave- 
hunter,  I  shall  be  very  glad." 

Within  four  months  Mackay  sailed  from  Southamp- 
ton for  Zanzibar.  Illness  delayed  his  reaching  Uganda, 
but  time  was  not  lost.    He  built  230  miles  of  road  while 


THE  ROAD  BUILDERS  18T 

waiting.  Then  in  November,  1878,  after  incredibld 
hardships  and  discouragements,  he  reached  the  capital 
of  King  M'teea,  long  his  objective.  It  was  a  sinister 
place,  despite  the  fact  that  the  King  allowed  Mackay 
to  hold  service  each  Sunday  at  his  Court.  Dark  forces 
were  at  work  against  the  evangel  which  the  intrepid 
soldier  of  Christ  had  brought,  but  he  lived  and  toiled 
on  among  them  undaunted.  Three  major  menaces 
darkened  every  day,  besides  the  minor  ones  of  which  he 
took  no  account.  Always  around  the  King  were  the 
slaves,  his  pages,  some  of  them  Christians  now,  des- 
tined alas,  ere  long  to  pass  through  a  fiery  furnace  to 
their  death  for  the  Faith.  And  always,  there  hovered 
near,  the  shadow  of  the  Arab  slave-hunter;  there  were 
many  Mohammedans,  devotees  of  the  Crescent  stealthily 
at  work  against  the  Cross.  Eoman  Catholic  priests 
were  on  the  ground  before  him,  bitterly  opposed  to  his 
simple  gosj}el;  and  it  was  not  easy  to  forget  that  the 
King  had  put  2,000  innocent  persons  to  death  on  one 
occasion  in  a  single  day. 

But  Mackay,  the  White-Man-of-Work,  as  the  Ba- 
ganda  ^  folk  called  him,  kept  on  creating  a  Baganda 
language  and  alphabet,  reducing  it  to  letters  and  words, 
translating  and  printing  the  Scriptures,  making  his  own 
tools,  his  own  type,  digging  wells  for  pure  water  to 
oombat  fever,  working  at  his  lathe,  his  forge  and  his 
grindstone,  all  for  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  barbarous 
people  around  him. 

It  was  hard  to  explain  to  them  why  a  man  should 
labour  with  .his  hands  unless  forced  by  a  taskmaster  to 
do  so !  Very  slowly  the  conception  of  the  Carpenter  of 
Nazareth  who  chose  to  become  a  servant  for  the  sake  of 
mankind  found  a  lodgment  in  the  savage  minds  and 

*  Adjective  for  people  and  langua^  of  Uganda. 


188  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

hearts.  Mackay  was  very  humble  and  childlike  on  his 
knees  in  prayer,  men  said. 

"Hosts  of  people  come  daily  for  instruction,"  he 
•wrote.  In  1882  five  converts  were  baptised ;  in  1884, 
the  native  church  numbered  86  members.  His  prayers 
were  not  forgotten  before  God.  He  even  exerted  an 
influence  with  the  old  King  against  slave-hunting. 

M'tesa,  the  brutal,  and  yet  not  wholly  hostile  king 
of  Uganda,  died  in  1884  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
young  son  M'wanga.  He,  weak  and  cruel  by  nature, 
proved  a  ready  tool  in  the  hands  of  the  worst  elements 
of  the  Court.  The  jealous  suspicion  that  the  white 
foreigners  were  coming  to  "eat  up"  Uganda  was  played 
upon  by  the  crafty  Arabs;  the  slumbering  opposition 
to  the  new  Way  broke  out  in  acts  of  fiendish  persecu- 
tion of  the  Baganda  Christians.  All  such  were  endured 
with  fortitude  unsurpassed  in  the  annals  of  martyrdom. 

On  one  day  of  terror,  M'wanga  was  worked  up  to  a 
pitch  of  insane  frenzy  in  which  he  threatened  Mackay's 
life  and  gave  orders  to  seize  and  bum  the  Christians. 
Forty-six  men  and  boys  were  gathered,  their  arms 
slashed  from  their  bodies  by  sharp  knives  that  they 
might  not  struggle,  after  which  they  were  placed  on 
frames  above  a  roaring  fire,  and  so  consumed.  Yet  we 
read  that  the  number  of  Christians  grew  at  this  time 
of  terror. 

Mackay,  expelled  from  the  capital  by  the  King, 
quietly  locked  up  the  mission  premises  and  crossed  to 
the  other  end  of  the  lake.  Thence  he  issued  a  circular 
letter  to  his  scattered  converts,  printed  on  his  own  little 
hand  press. 

"In  days  of  old,"  he  wrote,  "Christians  were  hated, 
were  hunted,  were  driven  out  and  were  persecuted  for 


THE  ROAD  BUILDERS  189 

Jesus'  sake,  and  thus  it  is  to-day.  Our  beloved  brothers, 
do  not  deny  our  Lord  Jesus." 

When  from  England  came  the  proposal  to  give  up 
the  mission,  Mackay  wrote  back  "Never!"  When  the 
Society  begged  him  to  come  home  for  a  furlough,  he 
replied,  "Send  us  our  first  twenty  men,  and  I  may  be 
tempted  to  come  and  find  the  second  twenty."  His 
term  of  service  in  Africa  was  cut  short,  for  he  died  of 
fever  in  1890. 

Lord  Rosebery  said  of  Uganda:  "I,  for  one,  as  a 
Scotchman,  can  never  be  indifferent  to  a  land  which 
witnessed  the  heroic  exploits  of  AJexander  Mackay,  that 
Christian  Bayard." 

Stanley,  between  whom  and  Mackay,  there  existed 
a  firm  comradesnip,  voiced  his  reverent  admiration  for 
his  friend  before  his  death  in  these  words: 

"To  see  one  man  of  this  kind,  working  day  after  day 
for  twelve  years  bravely  and  without  a  syllable  of  com- 
plaint amid  the  wildernesses,  and  to  hear  him  lead  his 
little  flock  to  show  forth  God's  loving-kindness  in  the 
morning  and  his  faithfulness  every  night,  is  worth  go- 
ing a  long  journey  for  the  moral  courage  and  content- 
ment that  one  derives  from  it." 

Again,  in  1897,  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  writing  of 
Uganda  as  a  smiling  missionary  oasis  in  the  deep  re- 
cesses of  Central  Africa,  Mr.  Stanley  speaks  of  its 
Christian  conquest  as  "an  epic  poem,"  "few  secular 
enterprises,  military  or  otherwise,  deserving  of  greater 
praise." 

At  another  time,  Stanley  expresses  his  opinion  that 
*Tiad  the  Society  (C.M.S.)  yielded  to  the  almost  uni- 
versal desire  that  the  missionaries  should  give  up  the 
effort,  Uganda  would  by  this  time  have  been  one  of  the 
darkest  regions  of  Africa.    Faith  and  perseverance  how- 


190  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

ever  have  made  it  one  of  the  brightest,  thereby  more 
than  fulfilling  my  brightest  hopes." 


About  the  time  that  Alexander  Mackay  volunteered 
to  the  Church  Missionary  Society  for  Uganda,  a  young 
Oxford  graduate,  an  Anglican  clergyman,  hitherto  tak- 
ing himself  and  things  in  general  not  over  seriously, 
was  undergoing  profound  spiritual  conflict.  From  his 
country  parish  in  Sussex,  James  Hannington  wrote  to 
a  friend,  "I  cannot  believe  that  I  can  ever  be  saved, 
and  I  feel  that  I  have  no  right  to  preach  to  others." 

Then  there  came  to  him  the  assurance,  "Jesus  died 
for  me."  In  that  moment  his  soul  was  lifted  to  a 
higher  plane,  fitted  for  Divine  Service.  "I  sprang  up 
and  leaped  about  the  room,  rejoicing  and  praising  God 
that  Jesus  died  for  me,"  so  he  wrote  years  later.  "From 
that  to  this,  I  have  lived  under  the  shadow  of  His  wings, 
in  the  assurance  that  I  am  His  and  He  is  mine." 

Adventure  ran  in  Hannington's  blood.  Fearless,  en- 
dowed by  nature  with  capacity  for  heroic  action,  in- 
stinctively chivalrous,  he  was  par  excellence  the 
Christian  soldier.  When  tidings  came  that  two  of  the 
band  of  missionaries  who  had  responded  to  Stanley's 
call  for  recruits  for  Uganda,  had  perished  on  the  banks 
of  Lake  Victoria  ^Nyanza,  he  felt  the  call  to  arms  and 
reported  for  service.  Having  reached  Zanzibar,  he 
travelled  west  on  the  old  route  which  leads  to  the 
southern  extremity  of  Lake  N"yanza.  But  as  Mackay 
had  been  fever-stricken  on  this  pestilential  route,  so 
Hannington  fell  a  victim  to  dysentery  and  rheumatic 


THE  ROAD  BUILDERS  Ipl 

fever.  His  life  endangered,  his  complete  recovery  ap- 
parently impossible,  this  missionary,  although  reach- 
ing Nyanza,  was  forced  to  turn  hack.  For  weeks,  on 
that  dreadful  return  march  of  five  hundred  miles  on 
foot,  he  was  more  than  once  left  for  dead  by  the  way- 
side by  his  men.  Staggering  on  alone  in  agony  after 
them,  he  would  in  the  end  reach  their  camp.  Back  to 
England  was  the  inevitable  sequel.     This  in  1883. 

Two  years  later  found  him  again  on  the  East  Coast 
of  Africa,  but  far  to  the  north  of  Zanzibar.  His  health 
was  restored,  his  will  to  win  out  for  Africa  unbroken. 
His  church  had  created  him  Bishop  of  Eastern  Equa- 
torial Africa  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven.  He  was  bound 
for  Uganda,  but  he  proposed  to  escape  fevers  and  pes- 
tilence by  opening  a  new  route  from  Mombasa  to  the 
north  end  of  Lake  Kyanza.  It  was  direct,  and  it  tra- 
versed healthy  highlands  instead  of  fever-haunted 
swamps. 

Men  shook  their  heads.  The  Masai,  a  tribe  which 
he  must  thus  encounter,  were  a  fierce  and  savage  peo- 
ple ;  but  Bishop  Hanning-ton's  mind  was  made  up.  "If 
this  route  is  to  be  opened,  I  can  see  no  one  but  myself 
at  present  to  do  it."    So  on  he  went. 

But  he  went  foredoomed  to  death.  Suffering  out- 
rage and  violence  at  the  hands  of  the  Masai,  the  party, 
when  nearly  three  months  on  the  way,  escaped  their 
designs,  and  reached  the  lake  shore  at  the  village  of 
Ukassa,  only  three  days'  journey  from  the  capital  of 
Uganda.  There  Alexander  Mackay,  single-handed, 
stood  to  hold  the  position,  looking  anxiously  for  their 
coming.  Almost  at  his  journey's  end,  at  Ukassa,  Han- 
nington  met  with  insolent  challenge  and  exorbitant 
greed.  What  these  betokened  he  did  not  guess ;  his  goal 
was  in  sight ! 


192  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

MVanga,  son  of  M'tesa,  the  arcli  persecutor  of 
Christians,  had  been  persuaded  by  his  evil  counsellors 
that  the  white  men  who  were  plotting  to  wrest  from 
him  his  Kingdom  would  come  from  the  northeast ;  that 
they  were  even  now  on  the  way  and  that  Bishop  Han- 
nington  was  their  fore-runner. 

Little  by  little,  the  savage  suUenness  surrounding  the 
missionary  grew  darker.  He  was  separated  from  his 
escort  and  confined  in  a  wretched  hut.  There  he  lay 
for  five  long  days,  racked  with  fever  and  the  torture  of 
mortal  suspense.  It  was  then  that  he  wrote  with  trem- 
bling fingers,  hardly  able  to  gi'asp  the  pencil,  his  last 
words  to  his  friends  in  England:  "If  this  is  to  be  the 
last  chapter  of  my  earthly  history,  then  the  next  will 
be  the  first  page  of  the  heavenly,  no  blots  and  smudges, 
no  incoherence,  but  the  sweet  converse  in  the  presence 
of  the  Lamb." 

There  came  to  him  then,  at  last,  the  welcome  sum- 
mons to  rejoin  his  men.  For  this  purpose,  the  Bishop 
was  led  to  a  clearing  where  stood  many  people.  Among 
them  were  his  own  men ;  he  recognised  them.  But  each 
man  was  naked,  bound  and  guarded  by  armed  war- 
riors. The  end  had  come.  As  the  savages  approached 
and  would  have  torn  his  clothes  from  him,  Hannington, 
with  all  the  compelling  physical  and  moral  power  which 
belonged  to  him,  drew  himself  from  their  touch,  faced 
them  with  death's  sternness  and  spoke.  "Tell  your 
King  that  I  am  dying  for  the  people  of  Uganda,"  he 
said,  "and  that  I  have  bought  the  road  to  Uganda  with 
my  life."  Having  thus  said,  he  knelt  and  received, 
from  his  own  rifle  in  the  executioner's  hande,  the  fatal 
shot. 

To-day,  in  Uganda,  the  son  of  M'wanga  reigns.  He 
is  a  Christian  king  and  rules  over  a  Christian  people. 


THE  ROAD  BUILDERS  193 

The  railroad  to  the  sea  traverses  that  very  road  which 
Bishop  Hannington  died  to  open.  Even  to  the  fierce 
and  treacherous  Masai  folk  the  Gospel  is  preached.  It 
was  hard  to  die  at  thirty-eight ;  to  leave  wife  and  child ; 
to  fail  on  the  threshold  of  the  great  adventure  so  fear- 
lessly undertaken;  but  James  Hannington  did  not  die 
in  vain.    He  and  Mackay  alike  were  road-builders. 

"These  were  His  servants,  in  His  steps  they  trod, 
Following  through  death  the  martyred  Son  of  God; 

Victor  He  rose,  victorious  too  shall  rise 

They  who  have  drunk  His  cup  of  sacrifice." 


Five  years  after  Hannington  died  the  martyr's  death, 
a  messenger  of  God  to  bring  to  fruition  the  seed  sowed 
by  him  and  Mackay  visited  Uganda.  George  L.  Pil- 
kington,  an  accomplished  Irish  classical  scholar  of  Cam- 
bridge, a  layman  and  a  "born  translator"  took  up  the 
work  so  dear  to  the  hearts  of  those  heroes.  In  another 
five  years,  Mr.  Pilkington  completed  the  l^ew  Testa- 
ment in  the  language  of  Uganda,  together  with  a  large 
part  of  the  Old.  The  Uganda  Bible  carries  Pilking- 
ton's  influence  down  the  years. 

In  1893,  a  member  of  the  native  church,  named  Musa 
Yakuganda,  came  to  the  missionaries  and  asked  to  have 
it  published  that  he  had  returned  to  heathenism.  Asked 
the  reason  for  this  startling  request,  he  replied:  "Be- 
cause I  get  no  profit  from  your  religion.  Do  you  think 
I  have  been  reading  seven  years  and  do  not  understand  ? 
Your  religion  does  not  profit  me.    I  have  done  with  it." 

Mr.  Pilkington,  as  also  the  missionaries  associated 
with  him,  were  overwhelmed  with  humiliation  and  disr 


194  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

tress.  They  were  led  to  a  new  and  poignant  sense  of 
their  own  need  of  deeper  personal  consecration  and  of 
the  true  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  their  hearts. 
Confession  of  their  own  short-comings  was  made  to  the 
native  church.  Followed,  one  of  the  mightiest  revivals 
of  religion  in  Christian  history. 

Three  Pentecostal  days  in  the  story  of  Uganda  will 
never  be  forgotten, — December  8th,  9th,  10th,  1893. 
Each  morning  early,  hundreds  of  people  gathered  for 
prayer  and  confession,  and  hundreds  remained  for  pei^ 
sonal  light  and  leading.  Musa  Yakuganda  was  among 
them,  finding  at  last  "profit"  to  his  soul  in  the  new 
Way. 

When  he  went  to  England  in  1895  to  put  his  Uganda 
Bible  through  the  press  Mr.  Pilkington  gave  the  results 
of  the  great  revival  in  pamphlet  form.  The  following, 
the  substance  of  it,  is  given  herewith,  but  the  fact  must 
be  added  that  later  reports  eclipse  even  this. 

"A  hundred  thousand  souls  brought  into  close  con- 
tact with  the  Gospel,  half  of  them  able  to  read  for 
themselves;  two  hundred  buildings  raised  by  native 
Christians,  in  which  to  worship  and  read  the  Word  of 
God;  two  hundred  native  evangelists  and  teachers 
wholly  supported  by  the  native  church;  ten  thousand 
l^ew  Testaments  in  circulation;  six  thousand  souls 
seeking  instruction  daily;  numbers  of  candidates  for 
baptism,  confirmation,  and  of  adherents  and  teachers, 
more  than  doubling  each  year  for  six  or  seven  years, 
and  God^s  power  shown  by  their  changed  lives — and 
all  these  results  in  the  very  centre  of  the  world's  thickest 
spiritual  darkness  and  death  shade!" 

The  new  Cathedral  at  Kampala,  Uganda,  is  probably 
the  largest  Christian  Church  in  Africa.  At  the  con- 
secration services  which  took  place  recently  the  vast 


THE  ROAD  BUILDERS  195 

building  was  quickly  filled,  and  the  throng  outside  was 
estimated  at  20,000.  The  singing  was  led  by  a  large 
surpliced  choir  of  African  boys.  The  following  Sun- 
day 864  communicants  sat  down  to  the  Lord's  Supper. 


VIII 

"  THE    GEE  AT- WHITE-MA- WHO-LIVED- ALONE  " 

"I  go  to  Africa  to  try  to  make  an  open  door  .  .  .  Do 
you  carry  on  the  work  which  I  have  begun.  I  leave  it 
to  you/' 

These  words  flashed  through  the  memory  of  a  humble 
factory  girl  in  Dundee  on  that  day  when  the  tidings  of 
Livingstone's  death  thrilled  all  Scotland  and  England 
with  sorrow.  He  was  dead.  His  heart  was  buried  in 
Ilala,  where  the  end  had  come.  His  words  stirred 
Mary  Slessor  like  a  call.  She  was  ready.  Her  heart 
had  long  been  set  on  service  to  Africa.  She  offered 
herself  forthwith  for  the  work  at  Old  Calabar  Mission. 

On  August  5,  1876,  she  sailed  for  the  African  West 
Coast  on  the  S.  S.  Ethiopia.  As  she  watched  the  dock- 
hands  loading  the  vessel  with  casks  of  spirits,  she  cried, 
— "Scores  of  casks !  and  only  one  missionary!" 

Miss  Slessor's  first  period  of  service,  twelve  years 
spent  in  or  near  the  established  mission  at  Duke  Town, 
closed  with  the  decision  of  the  missionary  authorities 
to  grant  her  cherished  wish  and  send  her  into  the  ill- 
omened  inland  District  of  Okoyong.  During  the  twelve 
years,  her  health  had  twice  broken  down  and  she  had 
returned  to  Scotland  for  recuperation.  Beginning  with 
the  year  1888,  the  dauntless  little  Scotchwoman  became 
her  own  solitary  explorer,  her  own  defender,  colonist, 
house  and  home  builder,  and  God's  own  messenger  of 
peace  among  unknown  and  untamed  savages. 

196 


"GREAT-WHITE-MA-WHO-LIVED-ALONE"      197 

"I  am  going  to  a  new  tribe  up-country."  So  she  said 
in  her  casual  fashion,  unconscious  apparently  of  any- 
thing exceptional  in  the  adventure.  "A  fierce,  cruel 
people,  who,  everyone  tells  me,  will  kill  me.  But 
I  don't  fear  any  hurt — only  to  combat  their  savage 
customs  will  require  courage  and  firmness  on  my  part." 

Courage  and  firmness  belonged  to  Mary  Slessor  in 
high  degree,  but  certain  other  qualities  which  were  hers 
were  needed  to  create  her  matchless  story:  love  for 
humanity,  even  for  the  most  hopeless  scrap  of  it ;  faith 
which  did  not  waver  in  the  darkest  hour ;  also  a  strange, 
compelling,  personal  sway  over  the  minds  and  con- 
sciences of  those  with  and  for  whom  she  worked.  And 
added  to  these,  an  invincible  joyousness.  Whether  Mary, 
herself,  ever  realised  the  mysterious  power  which  she 
exerted  over  others  does  not  appear.  She  was  not  fond 
of  talking  about  herself.  Not  alone  was  it  the  uncouth, 
sullen  savages  who  rendered  homage  to  her.  One  who 
knew  her  well  said:  "She  had  the  power  of  attracting 
young  men,  and  she  had  great  influence  with  them. 
Whether  they  were  in  mission  work,  or  traders,  or 
government  men,  they  were  sure  to  be  attracted.  .  .  . 
She  loved  to  stir  them  to  do  great  things." 

Of  herself,  she  once  remarked  in  her  picturesque 
Scotch  dialect:  "I'm  a  wee,  wee  wifie,  no  very  bookit, 
but  I  grip  on  well  none  the  less."  This  was  the  limit 
of  her  self-exaltation. 

The  joyousness  of  .Mary's  temperament  (which  only 
the  French  phrase  joie  de  vivre  can  properly  convey) 
was  part  religion,  part  a  happy  imagination,  part  wit. 
The  Eev.  J.  K.  Waddell  thus  describes  her:  "A  slim 
figure,  of  middle  height,  fine  eyes  full  of  power,  she  is 
no  ordinary  woman.  It  is  wonderful  to  sit  and  listen 
to  her  talking,  for  she  is  most  fascinating,  and  besides 


198  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

being  a  humourist,  is  a  mine  of  information  on  mission 
history  and  native  customs." 

Mary  could  speak  of  her  own  Okoyong  home  in  the 
depths  of  the  African  wilderness  on  this  wise:  "In  a 
home  like  mine,  a  woman  can  find  infinite  happiness 
and  satisfaction.  It  is  an  exhilaration  of  constant  joy. 
I  cannot  fancy  anything  to  surpass  it  on  earth." 

What  of  this  home  ?  Wliat  of  the  tribe  of  Okoyong  ? 
The  second  question  first ;  her  friends  said  that  no  power 
on  earth  could  subdue  the  Okoyong  short  of  a  gunboat 
and  a  British  Consul.  Physically,  they  were  superior 
to  the  people  of  the  coast,  but  their  savagery  was  deep- 
dyed,  dyed  red  in  blood-shed  and  cruelty,  sinister  with 
witchcraft  and  treachery.  A  few  months  before  Miss 
Slessor  started  on  her  journey  to  the  Okoyong  village 
of  Ekenge,  which  she  had  chosen  as  her  head  centre,  a 
chief  among  these  people  had  died.  Many  men  and 
women  were  thereupon  put  to  the  ordeal  of  poison;  if 
the  body  rejected  the  poison,  innocence  was  established, 
not  otherwise.  Besides  the  deaths  thus  brought  about, 
there  were  buried  with  the  chief  eight  slave  men,  eight 
slave  women,  ten  girls,  ten  boys  and  four  free  wives. 
Such  was  the  people  among  whom  Mary  Slessor  elected 
to  spend  the  years  of  her  life  from  the  age  of  40  to  54. 

Picturesque  enough  was  the  simple  state  in  which 
she  made  her  journey  up  the  river  to  Ekenge  on  her 
first  prospecting  tour.  King  Eyo,  friendly  ruler  of  the 
semi-civilised  tribes  she  was  leaving  behind,  provided 
her  with  the  royal  canoe,  Brussels-carpeted,  palm-leaf 
canopied.  The  paddle-men  (sworn  enemies  of  the 
Okoyong)  sang  praises  improvised  by  themselves  to 
"Ma,"  the  White  Queen,  as  they  glided  along  the  river. 
On  arriving  at  Ekenge,  the  chiefs  whom  she  sought  out 
were  quickly  won  over  by  the  charm  of  her  personality 


"GREAT-WHITE-MA- WHO-LIVED-ALONE"      199 

and  assented  to  her  taking  up  her  abode  in  their  village. 
So  far,  good.  Now,  back  to  the  home  base  to  collect  and 
bring  back  luggage  and  the  simple  necessities  of  daily 
life  for  a  white  woman  in  a  nest  of  savages.  At  Ekenge, 
Mary  Slessor  built  herself  a  two-room  hut  of  bamboo, 
daubed  with  red  clay,  furnished  forth  with  a  veranda, 
and  within  a  fireplace,  a  dresser  and  sofa,  all  of  clay, 
and,  strange  enough  they  must  have  looked;  also  a 
sewing  machine  and  a  small  organ.  And  here  at  Ekenge 
for  fifteen  years  she  laboured  with  unfaltering  courage, 
every  day,  in  the  face  of  mortal  danger.  Here,  through 
faith,  she  subdued  a  kingdom,  stopped  the  mouth  of 
lions,  quenched  the  violence  of  fire,  escaped  the  edge 
of  the  sword,  out  of  weakness  was  made  strong,  waxed 
valiant  in  fight,  turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens. 
All  this  literally,  actually.  Of  whom  the  world  was 
not  worthy! 

Unguarded,  she  walked  through  jungles  where 
leopards  swarmed  about  her.  "I  did  not  use  to  believe 
the  story  of  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den,"  she  often  said, 
"until  I  had  to  take  some  of  those  awful  marches,  and 
then  I  knew  it  was  true.  Many  times  I  walked  along 
praying,  'O  God  of  Daniel,  shut  their  mouths,'  and 
He  did." 

In  her  isolation,  Mary  Slessor  interfered  with  the 
murderous,  cast-iron  ceremonies,  the  rituals  of  cruelty 
common  to  the  Okoyong,  and  was  able  to  bring  to  naught 
their  vengeful  rage.  "In  some  mysterious  way  she 
could  subdue  these  wild  people  and  bend  them  to  her 
will.  Her  fame  went  far  and  wide  throughout  Okoyong 
and  beyond  into  regions  unexplored,  and  many  thought 
of  her  with  a  kind  of  awe  as  one  possessing  superhuman 
power.     There  were,  indeed,  some  amongst  those  who 


200  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

knew  her  who  had  a  lurking  suspicion  that  she  was 
more  than  woman." 

When,  her  fame  spreading  far  and  wide  as  the  great 
Ma  of  Okoyong,  natives  from  afar  made  pilgrimage  to 
visit  her  at  Ekenge,  they  found  nothing  of  the  material 
pomp  and  power  which  they  expected.  They  found 
just  a  "weak  woman  in  a  lonely  house  surrounded  by 
a  number  of  helpless  children."  But  they  quickly  sur- 
rendered to  the  spell  of  the  Queen  of  Okoyong,  and  by 
the  contagion  of  faith  the  good  news  of  the  Kingdom 
was  spread  abroad. 

For  a  long  time  "Ma"  had  been  called  upon  to  decide 
difficult  questions  and  settle  disputes  among  the  people 
around  her.  Recognition  by  the  Government  of  her 
marvellous  power  in  dealing  with  the  turbulent  na- 
tives, led  to  her  being  invested  with  the  powers  of  a 
magistrate.  The  formal  proffer  of  this  position  came 
in  May,  1905.  Mary  accepted  the  office  and  discharged 
its  duties  with  her  wonted  unassuming  dignity  and 
good  sense.  But  she  was  hardly  prepared  for  the  im- 
pression her  personality  made  on  the  Governor  of 
Southern  Nigeria,  Sir  W.  Egerton.  On  a  stormy  night 
he  came  himself  with  several  attendants  to  her  cottage 
bringing  generous  gifts  for  her  comfort. 

"Hoots,  my  dear  laddie — I  mean  Sir!"  she  exclaimed 
as  she  greeted  him ;  then  later  wrote, — "The  Governor 
is  a  Scotsman  and  must  be  sympathetic  to  mission  work, 
or  else  why  did  he  come  vdth  his  retinue  and  all  to  a 
mud-house  and  see  me  at  that  cost  to  his  comfort  and 
time  on  a  wet  night  ?" 

At  the  age  of  54  Mary  left  the  work  she  had  learned 
to  love  at  Ekenge  in  other  hands,  and  proceeded  to  an- 
other mission  at  Ipke  among  the  slave-raiding  Aros 


"GREAT-WHITE-MA- WHO-LIVED-ALONE"     201 

tribe  and  others  which  were  known  to  practise  human 
sacrifices.  She  was  worn  and  weary  in  body  now,  a 
victim  to  the  distressing  chills  and  fever  of  Africa,  but 
her  will  to  work  and  to  sacrifice  remained  indomitable. 

When  her  life  work  for  Africa  neared  its  close,  Mary 
was  called  upon  to  receive  a  signal  honour,  that  of  ad- 
mission to  the  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  in  Eng- 
land, of  which  the  King  is  sovereign  head.  This  was 
conferred  "in  recognition  of  her  life  and  record  of  her 
self-sacrifice." 

She  commented, — "I  am  Mary  Mitchell  Slessor,  noth- 
ing more  and  none  other  than  the  unworthy,  unprofit- 
able but  most  willing  servant  of  the  King  of  Kings. 
May  this  be  an  incentive  to  work,  and  to  be  better  than 
ever  I  have  been  in  the  past." 

When  the  formal  presentation  of  the  Badge,  a  Mal- 
tese Cross  in  silver,  had  taken  place  in  Duke  Town, 
when  all  the  adulation  and  ceremony  were  over,  and 
she  could  escape  to  her  own  little  hut  in  Ipke,  Mary 
murmured,  "I  shall  never  look  the  world  in  the  face 
again  until  all  this  blarney  and  publicity  is  over." 

On  January  13,  1915,  the'great  ^'Ma"  met  her  good 
friend  Death,  surrounded  by  the  children  whose  lives 
had  been  redeemed  by  the  Divine  Love  she  had  made 
manifest  among  them.  As  the  news  spread  throughout 
the  region  around  Ipke,  it  was  everywhere  said,  "She 
was  everybody's  Mother."  Could  there  be  a  sweeter,  a 
deeper  word  spoken  ? 

^  "Mary  Slessor  laid  the  foundations  of  civilised  life 
in  Okoyong.  .  .  .  The  little  kirks  and  huts  which  she 
constructed  in  the  bush  represented  a  spiritual  force 
and  influence  far  beyond  their  material  value.     They 

*  Mary  Slessor  of  Calabar.    George  H.  Doran  Company. 


202  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

were  erected  witli  her  life  blood,  they  embodied  her 
love  for  her  Master  and  for  the  people;  they  were  out- 
posts, the  first  dim  lights  in  the  darkness  of  a  dark 
land;  they  stood  for  Christ  Himself  and  His  Cross." 


Part  Five:  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 


"I  conceived  a  great  prejudice  against  missions  in  the 
South  Seas,  and  had  no  sooner  come  there  than  that  preju- 
dice was  first  reduced  and  then,  at  last,  annihilated.  Those 
who  debate  against  missions  have  only  one  thing  to  do,  to 
come  and  see  them  on  the  spot.  .  .  .  Those  who  have  a  taste 
for  hearing  missions,  Protestant  or  Catholic,  decried,  must 
seek  their  pleasure  elsewhere  than  in  my  pages." 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

"The  saddest  thing  for  a  heathen  people  is  to  come  into 
contact  with  civilisation  without  Christianity." 

James  M.  Alexander. 

"Civilisation !  The  rampart  can  only  be  stormed  by  those 
who  carry  the  Cross." 

James  Chalmers. 

"Christianity  in  Oceanica  is  as  real  as  it  has  been  in 
the  early  days  of  any  Christian  country,  and  we  may  sing 
peans  of  praise  to  God  for  the  conversion  of  South  Sea, 
Islanders  with  as  much  reason  as  Te  Deums  were  justified 
when  ancient  Britons  first  felt  the  power  of  the  Cross." 

Joseph  King. 

"No  portion  of  Christendom  is  better  supplied  with  re- 
ligious instruction  than  the  Christianised  islands  of  Poly- 
nesia, and  nowhere  is  there  more  regard  paid  by  the  people 
generally  to  Sabbath  observance,  to  public  worship  and  to 
other  outward  duties  of  religion.  Family  worship  is  almost 
invariably  observed." 

Encyclopedia  Britannica. 

"The  march  of  improvement  consequent  upon  the  introduc- 
tion of  Christianity  throughout  the  Southern  Seas  probably 
stands  by  itself  in  the  records  of  history.  The  lesson  of  the 
Missionaries  is  the  Enchanter's  wand." 

Charles  Darwin. 


I 

THE  WHITE  PEEIL 

The  islands  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Ocean  are  by 
way  of  becoming  fashionable  resorts.  A  sprinkling  of 
South  Sea  spindi-ift  splashes  across  our  up-to-date 
magazine  literature,  gay  with  glints  of  pearl  and  coral, 
humorously  touched  by  the  grotesqueries  of  the  natives. 
Men  whose  ancestors  have  ruled  the  islands  from  time 
immemorial  figure  as  diverting,  picturesque  or  danger- 
ous adjuncts  in  the  white  man's  tales  of  adventure, 
hectic  romance  or  sport. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  last  century  down  to  re- 
cent times  three  classes  of  civilised  white  men  have 
been  conspicuous  visitors  to  these  islands: — Explorers, 
coming  in  the  name  of  profit  to  geography  and  other 
lines  of  scientific  investigation ;  traders  or  adventurers, 
coming  in  the  name  of  cash  profit ;  representatives  of 
European  protectorates,  notably  British  and  French, 
coming  in  the  name  of  commercial  and  political  profit 
to  their  nations.  And  now  we  perceive  this  fourth 
class,  made  up  variously  of  Americans  and  Europeans, 
professional  novelty-seekers,  the  idle  rich,  sporting  and 
adventuring  men  and  women,  who  have  exhausted  their 
familiar  pleasure-grounds.  These  come  in  the  name 
and  for  the  sake  of  new  impressions,  amusement,  ex- 
citement. That  which  appears  in  fiction  and  travel- 
sketches  has  found  its  origin  or  suggestion  somewhere, 
in  some  degree,  under  the  Southern  Cross. 

20^ 


206  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Mr.  Charles  B.  ISTordhoff,  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly 
makes  a  less  flattering  analysis.  "In  general,  the  white 
men  of  the  islands,"  he  states,  "are  there  for  one  of  four 
reasons:  work,  drink,  women  or  a  murky  past." 

The  scientific  investigators  in  the  Southern  Pacific 
have  not  come  as  philanthropists  to  the  island  folk. 
They  have  done  them  no  hann,  however,  if  but  little 
good.  The  average  trader  has  wrought  for  them  dis- 
aster incalculable.  The  European  protectorates  have 
produced  a  degree  of  civilisation  accompanied  by  many 
dubious  influences.  They  have  made  the  islands  in  cer- 
tain cases  more  habitable  for  foreigners,  but  at  the 
same  time  less  favourable  for  the  life  of  the  natives. 

If  the  representatives  of  commerce  and  civilisation 
above  named  continue  the  destruction  they  have  begun, 
and  if  to  them  there  shall  now  be  added  the  threatened 
influx  in  force  of  the  sportsman,  the  tourist,  the  jour- 
nalist, the  artist,  the  novelist,  the  film  producer,  the 
exploiter, — with  their  habits,  their  diseases  and  their 
vices,  the  native  races  of  the  South  Sea  Islands  on  their 
own  soil  may,  by  another  century  be  reduced  to  a  neg- 
ligible although  curious  ethnic  survival.  The  indict- 
ment is  a  stem  one.     Is  it  justified  ?    Let  us  see. 

1.  The  first  count  is  the  character  of  the  early  set- 
tlers in  the  Islands.  Early  in  the  last  century,  an 
element  among  these  was  that  of  convicts,  escaped  or 
released  from  penal  stations  in  the  Continental  Islands. 
These  men,  the  dregs  of  civilisation,  and  their  descen- 
dants, form  the  lowest  stratum;  but  while  there  have 
been  men  of  decent  habits  among  the  white  settlers,  the 
greater  number  have  led  senusal  and  brutal  lives,  worse 
than  those  of  the  natives. 

2.  The  second  count  in  the  indictment  is  the  char- 
acter of  the  sailors  and  officers  as  well  as  traders  on  the 


THE  WHITE  PERIL  207 

vessels  whicli  have  visited  the  islands  for  trade  in  sandal- 
wood, beche-de-mer  (a  marine  slug),  copra  (dried  co- 
coaxiut) ,  or  in  the  interests  of  pearl  and  whale  fisheries. 
These  vessels,  when  in  port,  were  often  scenes  of  wild 
debaucheiy  "like  floating  exhibitions  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah."  The  white  men's  orgies  were  not  confined 
to  the  sea,  but  extended  to  the  shore  where  the  native 
villages  often  suggested  hell  let  loose. 

3.  The  third  count  against  the  white  man  in  these 
waters  is  the  ruin  of  the  native  races  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  strong  drink.  There  are  some  among  us  who 
may  remember  the  visit  to  the  United  States  in  1892  of 
the  venerable  and  heroic  missionary  from  the  l!^ew  He- 
brides, John  G,  Paton.     In  his  words, 

"The  sale  of  intoxicants,  opium,  fire-arms  and  am- 
munition by  the  traders  among  the  ISTew  Hebrides,  has 
become  a  terrible  and  intolerable  evil.  The  lives  of 
many  natives  and  not  a  few  Europeans  are  every  year 
sacrificed  in  connection  therewith,  while  the  general 
demoralisation  produced  on  all  around  has  been  pain- 
fully notorious." 

4.  The  fourth  count  in  the  indictment  is  the  intro- 
duction of  diseases  contributing  to  the  depopulation  of 
many  of  the  islands.  This  very  serious  sequela  of  the 
advent  of  the  White  Man  is  in  part  involuntary,  but 
in  part  the  result  of  gTeed  and  malevolence.  The  na- 
tives have  little  or  no  resistance  to  the  epidemics  which 
are  indigenous  in  the  white  races,  and  which  are  sel- 
dom, with  them  in  high  degi'ee  fatal.  Thus,  in  1858, 
measles  swept  away  a  third  of  the  population  on  three 
of  the  N'ew  Hebrides.  Stevenson  tells  of  a  tribe  of 
400  souls  reduced  by  one-fourth  when  small-pox  came; 
in  another  case,  a  whole  region  was  depopulated  through 
the  contagion  from  one  case  of  tubercular  consumption. 


208  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

A  returning  traveller  reports  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Marquesas  Islands  are  dying  rapidly  of  the  same  di- 
sease. "The  Marquesan  beholds  with  dismay  the  ap- 
proaching extinction  of  his  race."  A  melancholy  fact, 
we  comment,  but  not  so  was  it  regarded  by  the  early 
traders.  Their  cry  from  of  old  has  been:  'TLet  the 
native  people  perish,  and  let  the  white  man  enjoy  these 
islands !" 

In  the  year  1860,  three  captains  landed  at  Tauna 
of  the  'N&w  Hebrides  and  boasted  that  they  had  planted 
in  four  different  ports  young  men  ill  with  measles. 
"Our  watchword,  they  declared,  is  'sweep  away  these 
creatures  and  let  white  men  occupy  the  soil.'  "  This 
appearing  to  the  seafarers  a  highly  profitable  line  of 
action,  they  invited  a  chief  named  Kapuku  on  board 
one  of  their  vessels,  and  when  he  was  in  their  power, 
they  seized  him  and  threw  him  into  the  hold  among 
men  sick  with  measles.  There  they  kept  him  for  a 
sufficient  length  of  time  and  then  sent  him  ashore  to 
spread  the  disease.  The  experiment  was  successful. 
The  measles,  we  are  told  on  highest  authority,  thus  in- 
troduced, spread  fearfully  and  decimated  the  popula- 
tion. In  some  villages  men,  women  and  children  were 
stricken  down  together,  and  none  could  give  food  or 
water  to  the  sick  or  bury  the  dead.  A  third  of  the 
population  of  Tanna  perished.  In  some  parts  of  the 
islands  deserted  villages  and  family  gravestones  within 
narrow  compass  can  be  numbered  by  the  dozen. 

Deeds  of  wholesale  violence,  not  worse  morally  than 
these,  at  the  hands  of  the  traders  have  resulted  in  ter- 
rific reprisals.  Seldom  has  the  martyrdom  of  a  Chris- 
tian missionary  taken  place  save  in  revenge  for  some 
act  of  treachery  or  cruelty  on  the  part  of  the  traders 


THE  WHITE  PERIL  209 

"with  whom  the  missionaries  were  not  unnaturally  asso- 
ciated in  the  minds  of  the  natives. 

5.  The  last  point  which  w©  make  against  the  treat- 
ment of  the  islanders  by  the  representatives  of  civilisa- 
tion and  commerce  is  what  is  usually  called  "labour 
traffic."  It  is  next  of  kin  to  the  slave-trade,  and  the 
story  of  its  atrocities  is  too  dreadful  to  narrate.  This 
elave,  or  Kanaka-traffic,  as  it  is  variously  called,  works 
fearful  havoc  among  the  tribes.  Children  are  kidnapped 
and  kept  on  the  slave-ships  thus  forcing  their  parents 
to  follow  them  rather  than  be  separated  forever.  Many 
thousands  die  of  starvation  and  hardship  on  the  way 
to  the  far  fields  of  hard  labour.  Depopulation  goes  on 
its  tragic  way. 

The  ships  engaged  in  the  business  of  transporting 
the  natives  en  masse  to  serve  as  labourers  on  plantations 
in  other  islands,  in  Guatemala  or  South  America,  num- 
ber a  hundred  often  in  one  port  at  one  time.  Some- 
times, on  a  kidnapping  expedition,  a  captain  of  one 
of  these  vessels  will  resort  to  the  ruse  of  painting  his 
vessel  white  to  resemble  the  missionary  packets  and 
will  land  in  the  character  of  a  respectable  Christian 
missionary.  As  the  natives  flock  to  greet  him  and  re- 
spond to  his  cordial  invitation  to  come  aboard  his  ship, 
they  are  suddenly  seized  and  manacled.  Without  de- 
lay, the  captain  puts  his  vessel  to  sea,  leaving  behind 
the  canoes  loaded  with  astounded  and  shrieking  wives, 
diildren  and  friends  vainly  seeking  to  follow. 

The  death  of  John  Coleridge  Patteson,  Anglican 
Bishop  of  Melanesia  in  1871  was  the  result  of  this 
form  of  the  white  man's  treachery. 

"Some  traders  once  painted  their  ship  in  imitation 
of  his,  and  by  this  artifice  were  able  to  kidnap  some 


210  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

natives  from  the  island  of  Nakapu  of  the  Swallow 
Group,  for  the  purpose  of  sending  them  to  plantations 
in  Queensland  and  Fiji.  When  the  missionary  ship,  as 
it  cruised  among  the  islands,  again  approached  Nakapu, 
the  natives,  mistaking  it  for  the  kidnapping  craft,  de- 
termined to  avenge  themselves.  The  bishop,  unsuspi- 
cious, lowered  his  boat  and  went  to  meet  them  coming 
in  their  canoes.  According  to  their  custom,  they  asked 
him  to  get  into  one  of  their  boats,  which  he  did,  and 
was  taken  to  the  shore.  He  was  never  seen  alive  again. 
Immediate  search  was  made  and  his  body  was  found, 
pierced  with  five  wounds  and  wrapped  in  a  coarse  mat 
with  a  palm  leaf  laid  on  his  breast." 

On  ISTakapu  stands  a  simple  cross  bearing  the  in- 
scription : 

In  memory  of 

John  Coleridge  Patteson,  D.D. 

Missionary  Bishop 

Whose  life  was  taken  by  men 

for  whom  he  would 

gladly  have  given  it. 

September  20,  1871. 


n 

THE  WHITE  BENISON 

We  have  watched  the  fleet  of  the  white  man's  ships 
cruising  for  science,  trade,  selfish  gain,  pleasure,  or 
for  political  aggrandisement,  among  the  Islands.  It 
was  in  the  main  a  vision  of  doom  for  the  Islanders; 
while  many  of  these  vessels  were  bent  on  no  mischief, 
many  should  have  flown  the  pirates'  black  flag,  for  that 
sinister  emblem  would  have  become  them. 

Is  there  no  relief  to  this  dark  picture?  Otherwise 
the  lines  of  the  old  hymn  we  used  to  sing  would  be 
fearfully  true, 

"Where  every  prospect  pleases 
And  only  man  is  vile." 

As  for  the  truth  of  every  prospect  pleasing,  that  can 
never  be  doubted  by  one  who  has  seen  the  glories  of 
nature  in  the  South  Sea  Islands.  The  colours  of  the 
water,  ranging  from  deep  purple  to  lucent  turquoise  in 
sea  and  lagoon,  the  atolls, — fairy  rings  of  the  sea, — the 
white  reefs  and  beaches  from  which  the  mountains  rise 
above  enchanting  valleys  rich  with  palm  trees,  their 
floors  carpeted  with  flowers  and  ferns, — all  are  of  in- 
comparable beauty ;  and  more  than  all  beside,  perhaps, 
are  the  changing  colours  of  morning  and  evening;  the 
latter  with  its  tropical  orange  flush  fading  at  the  sea's 
rim  to  pale  crystalline  green  and  above  in  violet  depths 
appearing  one  by  one  the  brilliant  constellations,  among 

211 


212  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

them  the  Southern  Cross  and  the  Southern  Crown.  And 
the  morning! 

"I  have  watched  the  morning  break  in  many  quar- 
ters of  the  world/'  wrote  Stevenson;  "it  has  been  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  chief  joys  of  my  existence,  and  the 
dawn  that  I  saw  with  most  emotion  shone  upon  the 
bay  of  Anaho.^  The  mountains  abruptly  overhang  the 
port  with  every  variety  of  surface  and  of  inclination, 
lawn,  and  cliff,  and  forest.  ISTot  one  of  these  but  wore 
its  proper  tint  of  saffron,  of  sulphur,  of  the  dove  and 
of  the  rose.  The  lustre  was  like  that  of  satin ;  on  the 
lighter  hues  there  seemed  to  float  an  efflorescence;  a 
solemn  bloom  appeared  on  the  more  dark.  The  light 
itself  was  the  ordinary  light  of  morning,  colourless 
and  clean  .  .  .  and  pencilled  to  the  least  detail  of 
drawing." 


'to* 


The  prospect  undeniably  pleases!  How  about  man, 
— the  native?  Is  he  really  wholly  vile?  Not  wholly, 
but  there  is  something  to  be  desired. 

It  is  a  common  thing  to  hear  from  superficial  ob- 
servers and  journalists,  bent  on  "featuring"  the  pic- 
turesque and  the  striking,  that  the  natives  of  the  South 
Seas,  these  "innocent  children  of  nature,"  should  have 
been  left  unmolested  in  their  primitive  virtue,  un- 
touched by  the  artificialities  of  our  modem  western 
life.  The  ^jopular  magazinist  indeed  is  wont  to  wax 
furious  over  the  incursion  of  the  "sombre^faced,"  "woe- 
begone," "religious  cranks"  who,  as  missionaries,  are 
robbing  the  natives  of  their  charming  and  artless  cus- 
toms; making  them — sad  indeed! — too  much  "like 
folks."  A  wholesome  rebuke  to  critics  of  this  stripe 
was  once  administered  by  Charles  Darwin. 
*  Marquesas  Islands. 


THE  WHITE  BENISON  213 

"They  forget,"  he  wrote,  "or  will  not  rememher,  that 
human  sacrifices  and  the  power  of  an  idolatrous  priest- 
hood, a  system  of  profligacy  unparalleled  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world,  infanticide,  a  consequence  of  that 
system,  bloody  wars,  where  the  conquerors  spared 
neither  women  nor  children, — that  all  these  have  been 
abolished,  and  that  dishonesty,  intemperance  and  licen- 
tiousness have  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  introduction 
of  Christianity.  In  a  voyager,  to  forget  these  things 
would  be  base  ingratitude;  for  should  he  chance  to  be 
on  the  point  of  shipwreck  on  some  unknown  coast,  he 
will  most  devoutly  pray  that  the  lesson  of  the  missionary 
may  have  extended  thus  far." 

Let  us  look  a  little  into  the  habits  of  life  of  these 
"innocent  children  of  nature."  Capt.  Cook,  first  and 
foremost  of  explorers  in  these  waters,  described  these 
as  given  to  a  degree  of  licentiousness  and  depravity  too 
horrible  to  dwell  upon  here;  and  he  was  a  remarkably 
accurate  observer.    Of  the  Tahitians  he  said : 

"There  is  a  scale  of  dissolute  sensuality  which  these 
people  have  ascended,  wholly  unknown  to  every  other 
nation,  and  which  no  imagination  could  possibly  con- 
ceive." He  did  not  deny  that  his  crew  was  partly  re- 
sponsible for  these  conditions. 

From  one-fourth  to  two-thirds  of  the  children  of  the 
island  population  were  strangled  or  buried  alive,  the 
common  rule  being  only  two  children  to  any  family. 
Few  of  the  natives  died  from  natural  causes,  as  the  sick 
and  the  aged  were  bi-utally  murdered.  Polygamy  was 
universal  and  all  widows  were  strangled  on  the  death 
of  any  man  of  prominence.  Innumerable  gods  and 
demons  were  worshipped  with  human  sacrifices  and 


214  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

wild  carousals  like  orgies  of  the  infernal  regions.  Su- 
perstition, including  tahu,  held  all  tr'bes  in  bondage. 

The  climax  of  depraved  and  abhorrent  cruelty,  com- 
mon to  the  Islanders  with  few  exceptions,  is  cannibal- 
ism. Though  not  universal,  this  practice  is  found  from 
end  to  end  of  the  South  Sea  Islands.  This  is  not  only 
a  social  custom  but  a  sacred  religious  rite.  It  is  per- 
formed on  every  occasion  of  interest,  the  building  of  a 
hut,  the  launching  of  a  canoe  and  the  like.  The  chiefs 
of  the  Fiji  group  were  wont  to  boast  with  pride  of  the 
number  of  bodies  they  had  eaten.  Mothers  gave  their 
children  portions  of  the  horrible  food.  The  whole  life 
of  the  people  was  inwrought  with  the  destroying  and 
devouring  of  human  beings.  Prisoners  were  deliber- 
ately fattened  for  slaughter.  Limbs  cut  off  living  men 
and  women  were  roasted  and  devoured  in  the  sufferers' 
presence,  these  having  been  compelled  previously  to  dig 
the  oven  and  cut  the  firewood  for  the  purpose. 

It  seems  best  to  stop  here.  Cannibalism  is  not  pleas- 
ing to  read  or  write  of,  but  it  was  a  dominant  fact  in 
the  scheme  of  life  in  those  islands  before  another  fleet 
than  the  one  we  have  seen  began  to  visit  them, — the 
fleet  of  ships  sailing  under  the  Cross  of  Christ,  bearing 
the  white  flag  of  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men. 

Watch  this  fleet !  It  began  coming  far  back,  almost 
as  soon  as  Captain  Cook's  Voyages  published  in 
England  the  desperate  depradation  of  the  dwellers  in 
the  Pacific  Islands.  It  was  to  Tahiti  that  William 
Carey,  having  read  Cook's  chronicles,  proposed  to  go. 
It  was  the  second  objective  in  the  story  of  Modem  Mis- 
sions. 

At  the  head  of  the  fleet  we  note  a  ship  called  the  Dujf, 
date  1796.  This  was  the  first  definitely  missionary  ship 
known  to  sail  any  sea.    She  was  bought  by  the  London 


THE  WHITE  BENISON  215 

Missionary  Society,  the  first  action  of  its  corporate  life, 
and  despatched  to  the  South  Seas,  with  a  Christian  Cap- 
tain and  thirty  Christian  men, — ministers,  carpenters, 
shoemakers,  weavers,  a  surgeon,  and  representatives  of 
various  other  arts  and  crafts. 

There  follows  The  Endeavour,  called  by  the  natives 
The  Begvnning,  bought  for  their  needs  in  1822  by  John 
Williams,  the  Master-Mariner  of  the  Cross  in  the 
Pacific.  He  had  come  in  1816,  the  Apostle  to  the  South 
Sea  Islanders.  John  Williams  could  build  holy  charac- 
ter out  of  cannibal  savage  material  and  he  did  it.  Also 
he  could  build  ships  with  his  own  hands,  first  making 
his  own  tools.  Which  he  did.  There  is  one !  The  Mes- 
senger of  Peace. — Sixty  feet  long  is  the  vessel,  eighteen 
wide,  the  sails  of  native  matting,  the  cordage  of  hibiscus 
bark,  the  oakum  of  cocoanut  husks,  the  rudder  of  "a 
piece  of  a  pickaxe,  a  cooper's  adze,  and  a  long  hoe." 
A  more  nondescript  craft  was  perhaps  never  launched, 
but  she  was  seaworthy,  and  served  her  master  well. 
The  small  craft  we  can  see  coming  after  the  Messenger 
of  Peace  were  all  built  by  John  Williams'  own  hand. 
But  we  watch, — and  perhaps  with  bent  head  and  dim- 
ming eyes, — ^the  four  following  phantom  ships  which 
silently  pass,  for  each  sails  under  the  name  of  the 
martyr-apostle:  first,  there  appears  a  three-masted 
barque,  and  its  figure-head  is  in  the  likeness  of  John 
Williams,  whose  name  it  bears ;  in  three  years  this  phan- 
tom barque  sailed  100,000  miles  on  her  errands  of  love 
and  light.  After  her  we  see  a  second  John  Williams, 
clipper-rigged,  with  racing  spars;  and  then  a  third, 
launched  in  1868 ;  the  fourth  John  Williams  is  the  first 
missionary  steamship. 

Following  now  are  five  small  ships,  all  on  one  model. 
Each  shows  the  name  of  Morning  Star.    They  were  built 


216  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

for  cruising  through  Micronesia,  the  coral  island  groups 
lying  along  the  equator.  It  was  from  money  earned 
by  children  in  America  that  those  five  Morning  Stars 
arose. 

Then  we  see  a  neat  brig  with  the  name  Pitcaim, 
another  the  Camden,  and  two  Daysprings.  Then  the 
Thaddeiui,  the  Columbia,  the  Niue  and  the  John 
Wesley.  Johns  and  reformers  being  in  order,  we  catcli 
sight  of  the  John  Knox,  and  there  is  the  Southern  Cross 
and  the  Daylight,  the  Surprise,  the  Ellengowans, — one 
and  two,  the  Undine  and  a  goodly  company  besides,  all 
sailing  under  the  Cross  of  Christ  beneath  the  Southern 
Cross.  This  fleet  brings  blessing  not  bale.  It  has  come 
into  these  waters,  not  with  the  white's  man's  curse, 
but  with  his  blessing.  To  save,  not  to  destroy.  To  re- 
store what  is  cast  down.    Healing  is  in  its  wings. 


in 

CHEIST'S  MASTER-MARINER 

There  was  a  man  sent  from  God  to  the  South  Seas 
whose  name  was  John.  From  his  forefathers  he  re- 
ceived the  name  Williams.  From  a  fortunate  strain  of 
heredity  he  received  genius ; — by  the  grace  of  God,  re- 
ligious genius.  He  had  the  genius  for  dealing  with  men 
and  nature,  for  piercing  to  the  best  in  men,  undis- 
couraged  by  their  worst ;  the  genius  for  bringing  things 
to  pass,  things  tangible  and  things  spiritual.  Begin- 
ning, a  boy  of  twenty-one,  at  Eimeo,  one  of  the  Society 
Islands  near  the  eastern  limit  of  Polynesia,  John  Wil- 
liams was  later  stationed  on  Raiatea,  an  island  in  the 
same  group.  Thence  he  voyaged  far  and  wide.  Five 
years  before  he  fell  a  martyr,  no  group  of  islands,  nor 
single  island  of  importance  within  two  thousand  miles 
of  his  starting-point  had  been  left  unvisited.  Wherever 
he  touched  he  left  the  peace  of  God  in  place  of  diabolism. 
The  cannibals  of  Erromanga  who  murdered  him  did  so, 
not  because  they  knew  him  but  because  they  knew  him 
not. 

But  Williams  was  not  the  first  messenger  of  peace 
to  reach  these  islands.  What  of  the  passenger  list  of 
the  Vujf  sent  out  from  England  in  1796  ?  These 
pioneers  had  gained  a  foothold  in  Tahiti,  largest  of  the 
Society  Islands,  but  after  they  had  endured  for  sixteen 
years  opposition  and  persecutions  indescribable  both 
from  king  and  people,  without  result,  the  time  came 

217 


218  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

when   the   London   Missionary    Society   concluded   to 
abandon  the  enterprise. 

Then  arose  Dr.  Haweis,  one  of  the  Society's  founders, 
with  earnest  protest  and  a  large  contribution  for  the 
mission's  sustaining.  John  Williams'  pastor  declared 
that  he  would  sell  the  clothes  from  his  back  rather  than 
give  up  the  work  in  Tahiti.  Instead  of  a  recall,  a  budget 
of  letters  of  encouragement  and  gifts  was  accordingly 
despatched  to  the  missionaries.  While  the  vessel  was 
on  her  way  to  carry  these  letters  to  Tahiti,  a  ship  passed 
her  in  mid-ocean  which  convej^ed  to  Great  Britain,  in 
October,  1813,  the  news  that  King  Pomare  had  been 
baptised  and  that  idolatry  was  entirely  overthrown  on 
the  island.  The  rejected  idols  of  the  native  people  were 
on  board  the  ship,  sent  as  tangible  proof  of  the  mighty 
work  of  God.  Pomare,  king  or  chief  of  Tahiti,  himself 
now  a  convert  to  Christianity,  has  been  aptly  called  the 
"Clovis  of  the  South  Seas.  Out  of  his  own  resources 
he  built  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  chapel  in  mis- 
sionary history.  It  was  712  feet  long,  furnished  with 
123  windows  and  29  doors.  Three  pulpits  were  placed 
within  the  walls  260  feet  apart.  A  stream  of  clear 
spring  water  on  its  way  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea, 
ran  through  the  enclosure.  Here  the  king  received  bap- 
tism in  the  presence  of  4,000  of  his  subjects.  In  a  brief 
period  three  hundred  natives  had  renounced  their  idols 
and  given  public  allegiance  to  Jesus  Christ.  In  a  sur- 
prisingly short  time,  at  the  initiation  of  the  people, 
sixty-six  chapels  had  been  built,  in  which  the  people 
assembled  four  times  a  week.  A  printing-press  was 
established.  The  gospel  of  Luke  was  already  translated. 
The  whole  Bible  in  Tahitian  was  afterwards  completed. 
Laws  were  enacted  against  murder,  theft,  adultery,  etc., 
to  which  the  chiefs  and  people  solemnly  subscribed. 


CHRIST'S  MASTER-MARINER  219 

Idolatry  was  soon  after  abolished  throughout  this  group 
of  islands. 

In  1835,  Charles  Darwin,  the  great  naturalist,  made 
an  inland  tour  of  Tahiti.  He  describes  certain  of  his 
impressions  thus: 

"Before  we  laid  ourselves  down  to  sleep,  the  elder 
Tahitian  fell  on  his  knees,  and  with  closed  eyes  re- 
peated a  long  prayer  in  his  native  tongue.  He  prayed 
as  a  Christian  should  do,  with  fitting  reverence,  and 
without  the  fear  of  ridicule  or  any  ostentation  of  piety. 
•At  our  meals,  neither  of  the  men  would  taste  food  with- 
out saying  beforehand  a  short  grace.  Those  travellers 
who  think  that  a  Tahitian  prays  only  when  the  eyes  of 
the  missionary  are  fixed  on  him  should  have  slept  with 
us  that  night  on  the  mountain." 

Discussing  the  popular  rumour  that  the  natives  are 
rendered  gloomy  and  apathetic  by  the  introduction 
among  them  of  Christianity,  he  says :  "Instead  of  dis- 
content being  a  common  feeling,  it  would  be  difficult  in 
Europe  to  pick  out  of  a  crowd  half  so  many  merry  and 
happy  faces." 

Capt.  Harvey,  master  of  a  whale  ship,  who  visited 
Tahiti  in  1839,  made  the  following  statement:  "This 
is  the  most  civilised  place  I  have  been  at  in  the  South 
Seas.  It  is  governed  by  a  dignified  young  lady  (Queen 
Pomare,  daughter  of  the  second  King  of  that  name), 
twenty-five  years  of  age.  They  have  a  good  code  of 
laws,  and  no  liquors  are  allowed  to  be  landed  on  the 
island.  It  is  one  of  the  most  gratifying  sights  the  eye 
can  witness  to  see  on  Sunday  in  their  church,  which 
holds  about  five  thousand,  the  Queen  near  the  pulpit, 
with  all  her  subjects  around  her,  decently  apparelled, 
and  seemingly  in  pure  devotion." 

In  1844,  the  French  obtained  control  of  the  Society 


220  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Islands,  and  the  Christian  work,  begun  under  the  Ix>n- 
don  Missionary  Society,  was  transferred  to  the  Evan- 
gelical Society  of  France.  This  organisation  now 
carries  on  effectual  work  in  Tahiti  and  other  groups. 

Having  accepted  the  invitation  of  the  King  of 
Kaiatea,  one  of  the  largest  of  the  Society  Group,  John 
Williams  made  that  island  his  headquai'ters  from  1818 
to  1827.  From  the  first,  however,  he  had  Livingstone's 
impulse  not  to  tarry  among  the  comforts  of  a  Christian 
community,  however  crude,  but  to  push  on  into  regions 
beyond.  His  sympathies  and  his  vision  were  as  broad 
as  the  Pacific,  and  on  the  Pacific  again  and  yet  again, 
he  set  sail  in  the  tiny  craft  his  own  hands  fashioned, 
bearing  the  Cross  to  the  people  in  darkness.  "I  can 
never  consent  to  be  confined  within  the  limits  of  a  single 
reef,"  he  said.  On  one  cruise,  he  ventured  in  his  clumsy 
barque  from  Rarotonga  to  the  Samoan  Islands,  a  dis- 
tance of  1,800  miles.  Wherever  he  touched,  unless  land- 
ing waa  obviously  impossible,  Mr.  Williams  preached 
the  Gospel,  and  left  native  missionaries  to  work  among 
the  people. 

The  last  service  of  this  nature  which  John  Williams 
performed  was  that  of  planting  the  good  seed  of  the 
Word  on  that  "inveterately  cannibal"  island,  Tanna, 
from  its  flaming  volcano  called  the  Lighthouse  of  the 
Pacific  This  was  in  N'ovember,  1839,  when  cruising 
among  the  'New  Hebrides.  His  ship,  the  Camden, 
anchored  off  Erromanga.  Mr.  Williams,  with  another 
missionary,  landed  on  the  island.  They  were,  at  first, 
cordially  received  by  the  natives.  But  swiftly  followed 
one  of  those  appalling  deeds  of  treachery  common  among 
savages.  Both  men  were  brutally  murdered  at  the 
water's  edge,  and  their  bodies  carried  into  the  bushee. 
A  cannibal  feast  followed. 


CHRIST'S  MASTER-MARINER  221 

In  the  words  of  Sylvester  Home,  "No  idea  can  be 
given  of  the  awful  grief  of  those  on  board  the  Camden, 
nor  of  the  terrible  sorrow  of  Mrs.  Williams  and  her  chil- 
dren. But  indeed  throughout  all  those  islands  to  which 
he  had  devoted  his  life  the  news  spread  anguish  and 
despair.  Then  it  was  fully  seen  what  John  Williams 
had  been  to  the  Polynesians.  The  cry  that  went  up 
from  those  scattered  islands  was  the  orphaned  cry  of 
those  who  felt  themselves  fatherless.  'Alas,  Williamu! 
Alas,  our  Father!'  was  the  common  wail."  When  the 
news  of  this  martyrdom  reached  England  twenty-five 
men  at  once  offered  themselves  for  missionary  service 
in  the  South  Seas. 

Captain  Croker  of  H.  M.  S.  Favourite  reverently  col- 
lected certain  remains  of  the  great  missionary  and 
carried  them  to  Apia  on  the  Samoan  island  of  Upolu, 
at  this  time  Mr.  Williams'  place  of  residence.  There 
they  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  presence  of  an  immense 
throng  of  sorrowing  natives. 


IV 

THE  HEEVEY  ISLANDS 

Ten  years  of  John  Williams'  life  were  spent  on  this 
minor  group,  consisting  of  six  principal  islands,  and 
situated  about  600  miles  southwest  of  Tahiti.  The 
group  was  formerly  known  as  the  Cook  Islands. 

During  King  Pomare's  lifetime,  and  at  his  instance, 
a  Missionary  Society,  auxiliary  to  the  London  Society, 
was  organised  at  Tahiti.  John  Williams  became  the 
first  foreign  missionary  of  this,  the  first  organisation  of 
its  kind  in  the  South  Seas,  perhaps  in  the  world.  In 
1823  he  sailed  from  Raiatea  to  the  Hervey  group  and 
left  on  an  island  there,  named  Aitutaki,  two  native 
Tahitaian  teachers  as  missionaries.  Returning  after 
eighteen  months,  he  was  welcomed  with  joy  by  the 
natives  whom  he  remembered  as  utter  savages.  They 
hailed  him  with  cries,  "Good  is  the  Word  of  God !  It 
is  now  well  with  Aitutaki !  The  good  Word  has  taken 
root  in  our  land!"  Mr.  Williams  found,  with  ever- 
mounting  wonder  and  delight,  collections  of  discarded 
idols,  a  large,  white-walled  chapel,  and  everywhere  the 
evidence  of  a  new  and  higher  life. 

As  he  cruised  from  one  to  another  island  of  the 
Hervey  group  Mr.  Williams  learned  of  those  on  which 
no  white  man  had  ever  landed:  Mitiaro,  Mauke,  and 
Rarotonga,  the  latter  so  marvellous  in  its  lofty  moun- 
tains and  picturesque  charm  as  to  be  called  "the  Queen 
of  the  South  Seas."    The  dwellers  in  the  two  fijst-named 

222 


THE  HERVEY  ISLANDS  223 

islands  anon  with  joy  received  the  message  of  the  mis- 
sionary. Thus  the  first  tidings  from  the  outside  world 
to  reach  those  islanders  was  the  glad  tidings  of  the  love 
of  God  in  Christ.  It  was  even  so  with  Rarotonga,  but 
with  a  difference. 

As  the  story  is  told,  the  king  of  Rarotonga,  on  the 
arrival  of  the  vessel,  came  on  hoard  and  readily  con- 
sented to  receive  two  teachers  and  their  wives.  But 
the  next  morning  these  teachers  returned  in  a  canoe 
in  a  pitiable  condition,  with  a  sad  tale  of  brutal  treat- 
ment received ;  for  the  chief  of  a  neighbouring  district 
had  endeavoured  to  take  the  wife  of  one  of  them  for 
his  harem,  in  which  he  already  had  19  wives,  and 
9he  was  rescued  only  after  a  desperate  struggle.  One 
of  the  unmarried  teachers,  Papeiha,  now  offered  to  go 
ashore  alone,  and  with  nothing  but  a  Testament  and  a 
few  school  books,  he  swam  ashore,  and  after  a  little 
rough  treatment  found  acceptance  among  the  people. 

Papeiha  was  a  hero,  a  native  saint,  to  be  held  in  ever- 
lasting remembrance.  With  one  companion,  sent  later 
to  join  him,  he  visited  all  the  Rarotongan  chiefs  and 
reasoned  with  them  concerning  the  folly  of  idol-worship. 
Much  impression  was  made  by  reading  those  words  of 
Isaiah, 

"With  part  thereof  he  roasteth  roast  and  is  satisfied, 
and  the  residue  thereof  he  maketh  a  god,  and  wor- 
shippeth  it  and  saith,  'Deliver  me;  for  thou  art  my 
God!'" 

Upon  one  man  bringing  his  idol  and  laying  it  at  his 
feet,  Papeiha  promptly  sawed  off  its  head.  When  no 
punishment  was  visited  upon  him  the  natives  were  con- 
vinced that  the  idol  was  indeed  a  sham.    In  short  order 


224  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

the  priests  and  chiefs  repudiated  idolatry  and  set  to 
work  to  build  a  Christian  church  under  Papeiha's 
leadership.    All  this  within  a  year. 

Here  begins  the  marvellous  story  of  the  results  won 
in  the  South  Seas  by  native  Christians.  In  large  part 
this  is  due  to  the  wise  and  far-seeing  missionary  policy 
of  John  Williams.  For,  early  in  his  work,  he  saw,  as 
other  missionaries  have  seen,  that  the  Pacific  Islands 
could  not  be  won  to  Christ  by  the  white  man,  but  only 
by  the  islanders,  selected,  trained  and  watched  over  by 
the  European  Missionary.  He  established  a  training 
school  in  Rarotonga  for  native  missionaries,  by  the 
agency  of  which  in  great  measure,  with  others  of  like 
character  in  Samoa  and  elsewhere,  the  evangelisation 
of  the  islands  of  Polynesia,  eastern  division  of  the 
Pacific,  was  accomplished.  Heavy  has  been  the  cost  of 
South  Seas  missions  in  the  life  of  Europeans,  but 
heavier  far  in  the  life  of  native  Christians.  Out  of  one 
church  in  the  Hervey  Islands  sixty  members  have  been' 
killed  while  in  missionary  service.  But  here,  as  alway», 
the  blood  of  martyrs  has  proved  the  seed  of  the  church. 

In  1827  John  Williams,  his  wife  with  him,  took  up 
his  permanent  abode  on  Rarotonga ;  there,  through  much 
tribulation,  they  fought  the  good  fight,  and  spread  the 
good  news  of  the  Kingdom  far  and  wide.  Food  was 
scanty  and  ill  adapted  to  their  tastes,  consisting  chiefly 
of  native  roots;  for  ten  years  they  never  tasted  beef; 
often  months,  even  years  passed  in  which  no  vessel  but 
their  own  touched  the  island;  trials  and  bereavements 
visited  them,  but  they  "kept  on  keeping  on."  The  re- 
sult ?  Bits  of  testimony  pieced  together  make  a  shining 
mosaic. 

Said  John  Williams  himself  of  the  Rarotongans, — 

"When  I  found  them,  in  1823,  they  were  ignorant  of 


THE  HERVEY  ISLANDS  225 

the  nature  of  Christian  worship;  and  when  I  left  them 
in  1834,  I  am  not  aware  that  there  was  a  house  in  the 
island  where  prayer  was  not  observed,  morning  and 
evening." 

^'The  Christian  churches  in  Rarotonga,"  runs  the  re-- 
port  of  the  directors  of  this  mission  in  1841,  "presentj 
a  most  impressive  and  animating  appearance.  The 
social  and  moral  character  of  the  people,  a  few  years 
previous  loathsome  and  terrific,  is  now  pure  and  peace- 
ful." 

The  Earotongans,  imder  British  protection,  stand 
high  among  South  Sea  Islanders,  being  now  counted  the 
most  forward  of  all  in  industrial  and  agricultural 
advancement.  Being  geographically  off  the  line  of  trade 
and  slave  ships,  they  are  uncontaminated  by  the  vices, 
devices  and  diseases  of  unprincipled  foreigners.  Their 
new  religion  brings  to  an  end  tribal  wars  and  the  in- 
digenous evil  practices  which  elsewhere  produce  decay 
and  depopulation.  The  missionaries  have  taught  tribes 
to  live  cleanly  and  to  abstain  from  strong  drink.  Con- 
sequently they  are  not  only  increasing  numerically, 
unlike  most  Islanders,  but  are  law-abiding,  peaceful, 
contented,  prosperous.  There  is  not  a  pauper  among 
them.  They  are  generally  better  educated,  more  moral 
and  more  religious  than  the  people  of  England  and  the 
United  States. 


y 

DEATH  AND  LIFE  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES 

It  was  reserved  for  the  genius  of  Scotch  and  Nova 
Scotian  Presbyterians  to  make  a  permanent  impression 
on  the  fierce  savagery  of  the  New  Hebrides.  And  that 
happened  years  after  the  death  of  John  Williams. 

Native  teachers  and  English  missionaries  again  and 
again  landed  on  these  ill-omened  islands  only  to  meet 
with  fierce  hostility,  often  with  martyrdom.  Erromanga 
will  always  bear  the  name  of  the  "Martyr  Isle." 

A  hopeful  beginning  at  last  was  made  there,  as  it 
seemed,  in  1857  by  George  Gordon  and  his  wife,  youth- 
ful missionaries  from  Nova  Scotia.  The  work  advanced 
under  their  leadership,  but  an  epidemic  of  measles 
among  the  natives,  introduced  by  a  trading  vessel, 
roused  the  old  vengeful  feelings  of  the  natives  against 
foreigners.  On  May  20th,  1861,  George  Gordon,  brave 
and  saintly  soul,  and  his  young  wife  were  murdered. 
Three  years  later  James  Gordon  came  out  to  carry  on 
his  brother's  mission,  and  in  1868  James  McNair  came 
from  Scotland,  to  join  him.  The  latter  died  in  1870. 
In  1872  James  Gordon,  while  at  work  on  the  translation 
of  the  seventh  chapter  of  Acts,  and  having  reached  the 
prayer  of  Stephen,  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge, 
was  tomahawked  by  a  savage  who  fancied  that  he  had 
caused  the  death  of  his  child  by  the  exercise  of  super- 
natural influence. 

In  a  grave  near  the  sea  the  Christian  natives,  grief- 

226 


DEATH  AND  LIFE  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  227 

stricken,  laid  the  body  and  beside  it  vowed  that  Erro- 
manga  should  yet  be  won  for  Christ.  Then,  sternly 
and  deliberately,  they  set  themselves  to  the  punishment 
of  the  dreadful  deed. 

The  reasoning  of  one  of  these  men  as  to  the  justice 
of  this  cause,  in  the  absence  of  administrative  authority, 
is  convincing  even  in  its  naivete.  "They  have  killed  our 
Misi!"  so  they  declared,  "and  are  we  going  to  allow  this 
and  do  nothing?  They  say,  'These  Christians  are 
women;  they  cannot  handle  the  battle-axe;  and  we  can 
kill  as  many  as  we  please.'  !Now  let  us  show  them  our 
strength  if  we  have  any.  ...  So'  we  returned,  our 
hands  red  with  blood,  and  our  hearts,  perhaps,  red 
too.  We  would  have  gone  on  with  the  punishment,  but 
we  said  that  if  we  did,  the  missionaries  would  say  that 
we  were  heathen  and  murderers  ourselves.  But,  Misi 
(native  title  for  missionary),  though  we  were  sorry 
afterward  for  our  conduct,  I  sometimes  think  we  did 
not  do  so  wrongly  as  8ome«said  we  did.  The  heathen 
had  killed  Mr.  Harris  and  Mr.  Williams  and  Mr.  Gor- 
don and  his  wife,  and  now  they  have  killed  my  own 
Misi.  They  said  we  were  'women.'  We  showed  them 
we  were  men  as  well  as  Christians,  and  that  we  would 
defend  our  friends  .against  their  cruelties." 

The  news  of  Gordon's  death  reaching  Nova  Scotia^ 
the  Rev.  Hugh  Robertson  and  his  fearless  wife  promptly 
offered  themselves  for  service  on  Erromanga,  deliber- 
ately choosing  its  appalling  dangers  because  of  its 
appalling  needs. 

At  Dillon's  Bay  in  1880  a  Martyrs'  Memorial  Church 
was  erected,  and  in  it  can  to-day  be  seen  the  monument 
to  Erromanga's  Martyrs,  placed  there  on  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  death  of  John  Williams.  It  bears 
the  following  inscription : 


228  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Christian  missionaries 

who  died  on  this  island: 

John  Williams, 

James  Harris, 

Killed  at  Dillon's  Bay  by  the  natives,  80th  November, 

1839; 

George  IST.  Gordon, 

Ellen  C.  Gordon, 

Killed  on  20th  of  May,  1861 ; 

James  MclSTair, 

Who  died  at  Dillon's  Bay,  16th  July,  1870 ;  and 

James  D.  Gordon, 

Killed  at  Portinia  Bay,  7th  Harch,  1872. 

They  hazarded  their  lives  for  the  name  of  our  Lord 

Jesus.     Acts  15:26. 

It  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 

that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to 

save  sinners.     I  Tim.  1 :15. 

The  man  who  laid  the  cornerstone  of  the  church  was 
the  son  of  John  Williams'  murderer.  This  man's 
brother  was  at  the  same  time  preaching  Christ  in  Aus- 
tralia ! 

The  period  of  violence  and  murderous  opposition  was 
happily  over.  Mr.  Robertson  was  able  to  perform  con- 
structive work  on  his  chosen  field,  unmolested,  and  to 
report  after  16  years  of  service  most  encouraging 
results.  "The  converts  are  doing  all  in  their  power," 
he  wrote  in  1889,  "to  help  on  the  work  of  the  mission, 
and  under  constant  training  they  are  growing  in  lib- 
erality and  other  graces  with  gratifying  rapidity." 

Meanwhile  on  the  island  of  Aneityum,  south  of 
Tanna,  another  pair  of  ISTova  Scotian  missionaries,  rein- 
forced by  another  from  Scotland,  were  bringing  mar- 


DEATH  AND  LIFE  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  229 

vellous  things  to  pass,  overcoming  all  obstacles.  In 
the  year  1848,  a  young  Nova  Scotian,  John  Geddie, 
and  his  wife,  guests  of  the  L.  M.  S.  mission  house  on 
Samoa,  awaited  with  impatience  the  ship  which  should 
carry  them  to  the  island  of  Aneityum  and  their  work, 
they  having  been  eighteen  months  on  the  way.  The 
John  Williams  came  at  last;  the  new  missionaries 
reached  their  desired  haven.  In  1852  John  Inglis  and 
his  wife  came  from  Scotland  to  join  them.  Steady, 
unfaltering  labour  for  nearly  twenty-five  years  followed 
amid  discouragements  before  which  other*  failed  and 
left.  Civilisation  followed  Christianity.  A  place  of 
warlike  savagery  became  the  centre  of  peaceful  indus- 
try. Aneityum  was  the  first  island  of  a  large  group  to 
be  visited  by  scientific  explorers,  their  path  having  been 
made  smooth  and  their  safety  assured  by  the  pioneer 
work  of  John  Geddie.  His  life  is  summed  up  in  the 
inscription  on  the  tablet  in  Analgahat:  "When  he 
landed  in  1848  there  were  no  Christians  here,  and  when 
he  died  in  1872  there  were  no  heathen." 

But  the  work  of  Geddie  and  Inglis  would  have  been 
of  comparatively  small  avail  had  it  not  been  for  the  co- 
operation of  their  wives.  Mrs.  Geddie,  first  of  Christian 
women,  began  the  task  of  awakening  a  rudimentary 
moral  sense  among  the  degraded  and  ignorant  women 
of  the  New  Hebrides.  For  twenty-five  years  she  worked 
on  patiently  and  cheerfully  among  these  wretched  be- 
ings, given  over  to  every  revolting  crime,  including 
humian  sacrifice.  For  four  years  Mrs.  Geddie  had  no 
Christian  woman  with  her  on  Aneityum. 

The  coming  of  Mrs.  Inglis  was  a  mighty  reinforce- 
ment to  the  work  as  well  as  a  personal  comfort  and 
stay  to  Mrs.  Geddie.  Mrs.  Inglis  possessed  all  the  native 
Scotch  constancy  and  steadiness  with  astonishing  execu- 


230  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

tive  ability,  and  a  constitution  which  enabled  her,  for 
more  than  a  half  a  century,  never  once  to  fail  in  accom- 
plishing a  full  day's  work. 

On  a  day  of  festival  celebrating  the  close  of  eight 
years'  work,  when  eighteen  hundred  persons  had  re- 
nounced heathenism  and  accepted  Christ,  the  com- 
pany of  natives  no  longer  appeared  as  naked  savages. 
They  were  clothed  decently,  and  every  garment 
worn  had  been  cut  and  prepared  by  Mrs.  Inglis's  own 
hands. 

In  translating  and  revising  the  Scriptures  and  other 
publications  this  marvellous  woman  was  of  the  greatest 
assistance  to  her  husband.  "I  never  wrote  anything  or 
translated  anything  for  publication  which  I  did  not 
submit  to  her  for  criticism.  .  .  .  Every  final  proof  she 
attested  twice  at  least."    So  he  said  of  her. 

Mrs.  Inglis's  introduction  of  the  arrow-root  industry 
into  Aneityiim  proved  of  vast  importance,  providing  the 
women  with  suitable  and  lucrative  employment,  all  the 
arrow-root  they  could  raise  and  prepare  for  market  be- 
ing in  demand  in  ISTew  Zealand.  So  punctual  was 
Mrs.  Tnglis  in  all  matters  that  a  gentleman  from  Aus- 
tralia visiting  Aneityum  said  of  her,  "I  have  lived -on 
board  a  man-of-war,  and  in  many  places  where  order 
reigned,  but  I  never  saw  punctuality  like  hers."  A 
ship's  captain  who  shared  her  hospitality  said,  "She 
could  have  conducted  the  commissariat  department  of  a 
man-of-war." 

When  John  Inglis  of  Aneityum,  at  home  on  furlough, 
being  present  at  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland,  was  asked  to  make  a  speech  before 
that  august  body  and  cautioned  that  it  must  be  brief, 
he  said: 


DEATH  AND  LIFE  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  231 

^  "Fathers  and  brothers,  we  are  told  that  missionaries 
should  content  themselves  with  stating  facts,  and  leave 
the  Church  to  draw  the  inferences.  I  wish  to  bring 
these  facts  to  3^our  notice. 

"First,  I  place  on  your  table,"  suiting  the  action  to 
the  word,  "the  Shorter  Catechism  translated  into  the 
language  of  Aneitjum. 

"Second,  I  place  on  your  table  also  Pilgrim'^s  Prog- 
ress translated  into  the  language  of  Aneityum. 

"Third,  T  place  on  your  table  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
Old  and  Kew  Testaments  translated  into  the  language 
of  Aneityum,  and  now  leave  the  Church  to  draw  the 
inference,"  and  sat  down  amid  a  storm  of  applause. 


On  ^November  5th,  1858,  John  G.  Paton  and  his  wife 
Mary  landed  on  Tanna.  Their  first  impression  was  of 
the  nudity,  the  ignorance,  the  ferocity  of  the  natives; 
their  second  of  the  infamous  cruelty  of  the  sandal-wood 
traders.  The  two  factors  were  inter-wrought  to  the 
undoing  of  Dr.  Paton's  heroic  efforts,  continuing  over 
five  jears.  For  the  desire  for  revenge  upon  the  white 
man  for  his  deeds  of  cruelty,  treachery 'and  gi'eed  was 
never  permitted  to  slumber  long  in  the  heart  of  a 
Tannese. 

It  is  piteous  to  read  of  John  Paton,  obliged  to  sit 
down  in  deliberate  council  with  ten  chiefs  of  Tanna  in 
order  to  plead  with  them  for  a  cessation  of  certain  of 
their  domestic  atrocities  and  to  receive  from  them  their 
answer : 

"If  we  did  not  beat  our  women,  they  would  never 
work ;  they  would  not  fear  and  obey  us.    But  when  we 

*Pierson'3  T^eio  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 


232  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

have  beaten  and  killed,  and  feasted  on  two  or  three,  the 
rest  are  all  very  quiet  and  good  for  a  long  time  to 
come." 

Forced  in  order  to  save  his  life  to  flee  from  Tanna 
(which  remains  to-day  problematic  as  concerns  Chris- 
tianity or  civilisation),  Dr.  Paton,  in  1866  escaping 
from  the  thousand  perils  which  beset  him  there,  began 
work  on  Aniwa,  a  small  island  west  of  Tanna.  Three 
years  after  his  arrival  he  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper 
with  twelve  natives,  the  most  of  whom  had  been  mur- 
derers and  cannibals.  In  1892  he  was  able  to  charac- 
terise the  whole  population  of  Aniwa  as  "more  openly 
and  reverently  Christian  than  any  community  he  had 
ever  visited." 


yi 

KIN^G  GEORGE  TUBOU  OF  TONGA 

De  Quatrefages,  in  a  table  giving  the  stature  o£ 
different  races  of  men,  puts  the  natives  of  Samoa  and 
Tonga  as  the  largest  in  the  world,  giving  their  average 
height  as  5  feet,  9.92  inches.  The  men  and  women  of 
the  Tonga  or  Friendly  Islands,  which  lie  southeast  of 
the  Fijig,  are  well  formed  and  graceful;  they  have  good 
features  and  beautiful  eyes. 

After  several  apparently  vain  attempts  to  reach  these 
islands  with  the  Gospel,  a  group  of  Wesley  an  mission- 
aries, among  them  John  Thomas,  John  Hutchinson  and 
Nathaniel  Turner,  began  work  upon  them  about  the 
year  1827.  While  among  the  thirty  or  less  inhabited 
islands,  divided  into  three  minor  groups,  no  trace  of 
Christian  influence  could  have  been  found,  the  new 
missionaries  were  overjoyed  to  discover  on  Tongatabu 
two  native  teachers  from  Tahiti.  A  chapel  was  in  regu- 
ler  use  in  which  these  men  preached  regularly  to  con- 
gregations of  several  hundred  persons.  Lotu,  the 
common  name  in  these  regions  for  the  Christian  religion, 
already  was  known  and  loved.  Here  was  a  nucleus  for 
their  work  and  upon  it  the  missionaries  were  not  slow 
to  build.  Interest  gi*ew  and  spread,  and  was  carried 
to  other  islands  and  other  groups  in  the  Tongas. 

Next  enters  upon  the  scene  another  Pomare,  a  minia- 
ture C1o\t[s,  who  by  the  grace  of  God  and  his  own  sin- 
cere and  potent  character  was  enabled  to  transform 

233 


284,  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

the  Tongan  Islands  from  centres  of  heathenism  to  cen- 
tres of  Christian  civilisation  in  a  generation.  This  was 
the  Chief  of  the  Habaai  group.  He  heard  that  some- 
thing extraordinary  was  going  forward  on  Tongatabu 
and  promptly  betook  himself  to  that  group  to  observe. 
What  he  observed  impressed  him  tremendously.  His 
first  impression  seems  to  have  been  a  mighty  disgust 
toward  the  wooden  images  which  he  had  all  his  life 
feared,  worshipped,  placated  with  sacrifices. 

When  he  was  again  on  his  own  island  the  Chief  set 
to  work  energetically  to  show  his  sudden  contempt  for 
the  whole  paraphernalia  of  idol-worship.  As  usual  on 
such  occasions  the  priests  set  up  strong  opposition  and 
sought  to  counter  the  move  by  a  great  pagan  festival. 
To  prevent  this  taking  place  the  Chief  desecrated  the 
temple  where  the  festival  must  be  held  by  two  singular 
but  effective  measures;  he  sent  his  women  servants 
thither  to  sleep  one  night,  their  presence  being  naturally 
pollution;  and  he  caused  a  drove  of  pigs  to  be  driven 
through  the  sacred  precincts.  Next  he  hung  the  tribal 
gods  by  their  necks  from  the  rafters.  The  priests,  not 
liking  this  suggestion,  made  haste  to  get  out  of  reach. 

Having  called  the  Rev.  John  Thomas  to  his  island 
to  show  him  the  truth  more  perfectly,  the  destructive 
side  being  always  simpler  than  the  constructive,  the 
Chief  visited  in  his  canoe  Finau,  a  brother  chief  on 
another  minor  group,  and  persuaded  him  to  join  the 
New  Movement.  Finau's  treatment  of  his  tribal  deities 
was  no  less  summary  than  that  of  his  friend.  He 
caused  seven  principal  idols  to  be  set  in  a  row  before 
him.     Then  he  addressed  them  thus, 

"I  have  brought  you  here  to  prove  you.  If  you  are 
gods,  run  away,  or  I  will  bum  you." 


KING  GEORGE  TUBOU  OF  TONGA         235 

A8  none  of  them  ran,  Finau  proceeded  to  bum  not 
only  them  but  18  pagan  temples. 

The  Chief  of  Habaai  had  now  been  baptised,  receiv- 
ing the  new  name,  ''King  George  Tubou."  He  came  to 
be  considered  and  called  the  "Father  of  the  Tonga  Mis- 
sion," the  influence  of  his  humble,  heartfelt  faith  in 
Christ  as  a  Saviour  making  itself  everywhere  manifest. 
King  George  was  a  powerful  preacher,  as  well  as  a  man 
of  great  administrative  ability,  and  pure  and  lofty  char- 
acter. He  is  described  as  upwards  of  six  feet  in  height, 
strikingly  well  proportioned  and  athletic,  with  a  fine 
open  countenance  and  unassuming  dignity.  In  process 
of  time  he  became  king  of  all  the  Tongas. 

In  1834  a  series  of  remarkable  revivals  began  in 
the  Tonga  Islands,  on  one  day  1,000  souls  being  con- 
verted. Following  this  the  previous  savage  despotism 
was  done  away,  constitutional  civil  government  taking 
its  place.  Common  schools  and  a  high  school,  as  well 
as  a  training  school  for  preachers  were  established.  This 
last  was  called  "Tubou  College,"  in  honour  of  the  King, 
In  1860  licensed  preachers  to  the  number  of  nearly  500 
had  gone  out  from  this  §chool  to  their  own  islands  and 
other  groups  far  distant. 

It  has  been  testified  that  by  1870  the  entire  popula- 
tion, with  the  exception  of  50  persons,  had  confessed 
Christ;  that  8,000  of  them  could  read  and  5,000  could 
write  their  own  tongue,  reduced  to  a  written  language 
by  the  missionaries. 

The  Tonga  mission  long  since  became  self-supporting, 
and  is  also  a  large  contributor  to  the  funds  of  the  Wesr 
leyan  Society.  The  extraordinary  success  of  mission 
work  in  these  islands  is  due  in  large  part  to  their  situa- 
tion, away  from  the  most  frequented  trade-routes.  It  ia 
also  due  in  no  small  measure  to  the  initial  character 


Z36  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

stamped  upon  it  by  King  George  Tubou.  And  it  was 
to  the  influence  of  King  George  that  the  evangelisation 
of  tbe  Fiji  Islands,  in  no  small  part,  was  due.  And  that 
is  the  next  story. 


vn 

JOELI,  "A  MAN  INDEED" 

The  island  of  Ono,  among  the  Fijis,  has  a  curiously 
interesting  history.  One  of  its  Chiefs  in  1835  in  time 
of  a  fearful  epidemic,  brought  forward  a  rumour, 
drifted  across  the  seas  from  Tonga,  of  a  one  and  only 
God.  His  name  was  said  to  be  Jehovah,  and,  it  was 
reported,  if  men  would  propitiate  Him,  they  must  set 
apart  one  day  in  seven  for  His  honour. 

For  a  time  the  Ono-ans  thus  ignorantly  worshipped 
an  unknown  God.  Then,  one  day,  a  half-wrecked  boat- 
load of  Tongan  Christians  was  driven  far  out  of  itdi 
course  upon  Ono.  These  men  were  able  to  instruct  the 
people  more  perfectly  in  "the  Way."  They  were  rein- 
forced in  this  endeavour  by  brief  visits  of  white  mis- 
sionaries from  other  islands.  The  Church  of  Ono  sooff 
became  a  shining  light  in  the  darkness  of  Fiji.  About 
1842  a  great  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  took  place, 
resulting  in  an  urgent  desire  among  the  Christian 
natives  to  carry  the  Cross  to  surrounding  islands,  still 
pagan. 

In  her  admirable  book,  At  Home  in  Piji  (now  un- 
happily out  of  print)  ^  Miss  Gordon-Cummings  intro- 
duces us  to  Joeli  Mbulu,  and  describes  a  typical  scene 

*Thi8  highly  gifted  writer  in  1875  accompanied  the  family  of 
Sir  Arthur  Hamilton  Gordon  to  Fiji,  of  which  he  was  first  British 
Governor,  and  there  resided,  studying  the  natives  and  their  con- 
dition with  large  intelligence  and  sympathy. 

237 


238  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

on  the  island  of  Ono  of  whose  Christian  Church  he 
became  in,  1845,  the  first  ordained  and  settled  pastor. 

"It  was  like  a  story  of  the  early  days  of  the  Church," 
wrote  Miss  Gordon-Cummin^s,  "so  wonderful  was  the 
flood  of  light  and  love  that  had  been  poured  on  these 
men  and  women.  .  .  .  Many  now  desired  to  be  allowed 
to  go  as  teachers  to  other  parts  of  Fiji  (of  course  in 
peril  of  their  lives).  Of  these,  eight  were  selected  and 
the  meeting  closed  with  the  simple  prayer: 

"They  go,  we  stay  on  this  small  isle  according  to  Thy 
will.  We  would  all  go,  Thou  knowest,  to  make  known 
the  good  tidings !" 

At  the  close  of  the  morning  service  300  communi- 
cants knelt  together  at  the  Holy  Communion;  and  on 
the  following  morning  all  the  people  assembled  on  the 
beach,  and  again  knelt  in  prayer  for  blessings  on  the 
teaching  of  the  eight  first  missionaries  sent  forth  by 
the  little  lonely  isle  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to 
the  vicious  cannibal  tribes  throughout  the  group. 

Of  such  stuff  were  the  men  and  women  of  Joeli's  first 
parish  in  Ono. 

In  the  year  1874,  King  Thakombau,  over-lord  of  the 
isles,  with  the  lesser  Fiji  chiefs,  had  petitioned  the 
Government  of  the  English  Queen  to  extend  its  protec- 
tion over  their  domain,  and  the  petition  had  been 
granted,  Thakombau  gave  his  reasons  for  desiring  the 
British  Protectorate  in  concise  and  significant  phrases, 
from  which  we  quote  the  following : 

"Any  Fijian  Chief  who  refuses  to  cede  cannot  have 
much  wisdom.  If  matters  remain  as  they  are  Fiji  will 
become  like  a  piece  of  drift-wood  on  the  sea,  and  be 
picked  up  by  the  first  passer-by. 

"The  whites  who  have  come  to  Fiji  are  a  bad  lot. 


JOELI,  "A  MAN  INDEED"  239 

They  are  mere  stalkers  on  the  beach.  The  wars  have 
been  far  more  the  result  of  intruders  than  the  fault  of 
the  inhabitants. 

"Of  one  thing  I  am  assured,  that  if  we  do  not  cede 
Fiji,  the  white  stalkers  on  the  beach,  the  cormorants, 
will  open  their  maws  and  swallow  us. 

"The  king  gives  her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  his  old 
and  favourite  war-club, — the  former,  and  until  lately 
the  only  known  law  of  Fiji.  The  barbaric  law  and  age 
are  of  the  past ;  and  his  people  now  submit  themselves, 
under  her  Majesty's  rule,  to  civilisation." 

If  ever  there  was  a  i^an  with  a  past  it  was  this  Fiji 
king,  Thakombau.  Blood-stained  and  terrible  had  been 
his  life ;  but  he  had  a  Christian  neighbour.  King  George 
Tubou  of  Tonga.  And  King  George  was  bent  on  Thak- 
ombau's  acceptance  of  lotu.  He  wrote  to  him;  and  he 
visited  him;  he  reasoned  with  him;  and  he  persuaded 
him  to  study  the  doctrines  and  the  effects  of  lotu  on  the 
heart  and  on  the  life  of  men. 

In  the  end  Thakombau  confessed  publicly,  "I  have 
been  a  bad  man,"  and  professed  conversion.  But  he 
had  wives  many  and  the  wise  missionaries  put  him,  like 
any  other  weak  brother,  on  probation.  In  the  year  1857 
Thakombau,  having  stood  fast  and  put  away  all  wives 
but  one,  with  her  received  Christian  baptism. 

King  George  Tubou  of  Tonga  had  powerful  allies  In 
giving  the  evangel  to  Fiji.  There  was  an  heroic  band 
of  Scotchmen,  Wesleyan  missionaries,  who  from  1834  on 
laboured  to  this  end.  The  names  of  Cargill,  Cross, 
Hunt,  Lythe  and  that  of  James  Calvert  can  never  be 
forgotten.  And  it  must  be  remembered  that  humble 
Christian  natives  of  Tonga,  strong  in  the  Faith,  were 
already  on  the  field  with  these  lifting  up  the  Cross  of 


240  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Christ  in  Fiji.  And  among  the  greatest  of  these  waa 
Joeli  Mbulu. 

It  can  be  asserted  incontrovertibly  that,  in  the  re- 
corded history  of  human  endeavour,  no  such  transfor- 
mation of  a  people  in  character,  behaviour  and  condi- 
tions of  life  has  ever  been  effected  as  that  wrought  in 
Fiji  by  the  grace  of  God  and  the  self-devotion  of  His 
servants  between  1835  and  1875. 

"I  often  wish,"  wrote  Miss  Gordon-Cummings,  under 
date,  Bau,  Fiji,  May,  1877,  "that  some  of  the  cavillers 
who  are  forever  sneering  at  Christian  missions  could 
see  what  has  been  vn-ought  here.  Only  ten  years  ago 
there  was  not  the  slightest  security  for  life  or  property 
in  all  these  islands.  ISTo  man  knew  how  quickly  his 
own  hour  of  doom  might  come.  ^Now  you  may  pass 
from  isle  to  isle,  certain  everywhere  to  find  the  same 
cordial  reception  by  kindly  men  and  women.  Every 
village  on  the  eighty  inhabited  isles  has  built  for  itself 
a  tidy  church,  and  a  good  house  for  its  teacher  or  native 
minister,  for  whom  the  village  provides  food  and  cloth- 
ing. Can  you  realise  that  there  are  nine  hundred  We&- 
leyan  churches  in  Fiji,  at  everyone  of  which  the  frequent 
services  are  crowded  by  devout  congregations;  that  the 
schools  are  well  attended ;  and  that  the  first  sound  which 
greets  your  ear  at  early  dawn,  and  the  last  at  night  is 
that  of  hymn-singing  .  .  .  rising  from  each  dwelling  at 
the  hour  of  family  prayers?  .  .  .  What  these  people 
may  become  after  much  contact  with  the  common  nm 
of  white  men,  we  cannot  of  course  tell,  though  we  may 
unhappily  guess. 

"A  year  ago  the  first  to  welcome  us  on  landing  here 
was  the  native  minister,  Joeli  Mbulu,  the  noble  old 
Tongan  chief.  .  .  .  To-day  we  have  been  to  see  him. 
Alas!  his  work  is  well  nigh  finished.     He  is  greatly 


JOELI,  "A  MAN  INDEED"  241 

changed  this  week, — wasted  to  a  shadow;  but  his  face 
ia  perhaps  more  beautiful  than  ever,  from  its  sweetness 
of  expression  and  the  bright  look  which  at  times  lights 
it  up, — just  like  some  grand  old  apostle  nearing  hia 
rest.  .  .  .  He  has  been  a  Christian  teacher  in  Fiji 
for  the  last  30  years, — that  is,  from  the  beginning, — 
amid  noise  and  tumult  of  war,  and  in  the  thick  of  all 
the  devilry  and  cannibalism.  He  has  been  King 
Thakombau's  special  teacher,  and  many  a  difficult  day 
he  has  had  with  him.  .  .  . 

"Last  night  there  was  great  wailing  and  lamentation 
in  Bau,  for  soon  after  midnight  Joeli  passed  away,  and 
died  nobly  as  he  had  lived.  He  was  quite  conscious  to 
the  very  last,  and  the  expression  of  the  grand  old  fac8 
was  simply  beautiful,  so  radiant,  as  of  one  without  a 
shadow  of  doubt  concerning  the  Home  he  was  so  near. 
No  man  ever  more  truly  earned  the  right  to  say,  'I  have 
fought  a  good  fight;  I  have  kept  the  faith';  and  none 
ever  was  more  truly  humble.  If  ever  the  crown  of 
righteousness  is  awarded  by  a  righteous  Judge  to  His 
true  and  faithful  servants,  assuredly  Joeli  will  not  fail 
to  stand  in  that  blessed  company." 


vm 

PAO,  APOSTLE  OF  LIEU 

The  Loyalty  Islands,  lying  soutli  of  the  ITew  Hebri- 
des, facing  the  large  single  island  of  ISTew  Caledonia, 
form  a  gateway  of  access  to  the  largest  island  in  the 
world,  Papua,  or  as  we  more  commonly  know  it,  !N*ew 
Guinea. 

It  is  a  blood-stained  entrance  to  a  yet  bloodier  battle- 
field for  Christianity,  but  among  the  Loyalties  lies  Lifu, 
a  bright  spot  in  the  fierce  gloom.  And  Pao  of  Karo- 
tonga  is  Herald  and  Hero  of  the  Faith  in  Lifu. 

Pao,  native  Christian,  bold  spirit,  feiTent  and  fear- 
less, had  sailed  these  Southern  Seas  again  and  again 
in  whaling  vessels.  These  voyages  had  widened  his 
vision;  and  made  many  things  clear  to  him,  as  that 
"it's  wiser  being  good  than  bad";  had  made  him 
sagacious,  sensible,  shrewd,  and,  by  force  of  some  native 
moral  fortitude  within  him,  had  left  him  none  the  worse. 
This  part  of  Pao's  education  was  followed  by  a  course 
in  the  Earotongan  Training  School,  the  heads  of  the 
mission  discovering  hero  missionary  timber. 

Then  came  a  sojourn  on  Mare,  a  Loyalty  island  evan- 
gelised by  Samoan  native  preachers,  stained,  too,  and 
deeply  by  Christian  blood.  Here  Pao  was  able  to  study 
''methods"  in  extension  work,  this  in  1842  before  proper 
theories  were  supposed  to  have  been  born.  After  a  little 
he  became  impatient.  It  was  time  to  get  to  work !  So, 
one  fine  morning,  with  his  Bible  and  a  few  clothes  fied 

242 


PAO,  APOSTLE  OF  LIFU  243 

in  a  bundle,  he  embarked  in  his  canoe,  spread  his  mat 
sail  to  the  wind  and  made  for  Lifu. 

Here  ruled  an  aged  but  powerful  king  who  had  vision. 
When  Pao  landed,  alone  and  defenceless,  on  an  errand 
so  strange  and  puzzling  to  the  Lifuans,  they  brought 
him  before  the  King. 

"Have  you  a  message  for  me  from  the  Great  Spirit  ?" 
inquired  the  King. 

"Yes,  and  here  it  is,"  was  Pao's  reply.  With  this 
he  presented  his  Rarotongan  New  Testament.  The 
King  perceived  that  Pao  brought  something  his  people 
needed,  so  in  that  hour  took  him  under  his  wing  and 
gave  him  a  chance  to  lift  the  Cross  and  preach  the  Gos- 
pel. Many  souls  accepted  the  redemption  thus  offered ; 
many  proved  through  fiery  trial  faithful  to  the  end. 
When  the  king  died  fierce  war  broke  out  for  the  succes- 
sion ;  also  an  epidemic  swept  away  many  of  the  islanders. 
For  this  Pao  was  naturally  held  accountable,  so  escaped 
to  Mare  to  watch  his  chance. 

He  thought,  over-soon,  that  the  chance  had  come,  and 
visited  Lifu  while  war  was  still  on,  and  again  withdrew. 
But  ere  long  peace  came  and  with  it  a  great  popular 
demand  for  Pao's  presence.  In  a  few  hours  after  this 
tidings  reached  him,  Pao  was  on  his  way  to  Lifu.  To 
his  joy  he  found  the  band  of  Christians,  which  he  had 
left  behind,  refined  and  purified  by  persecution,  strong 
in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  their  Lord.  All  they 
wanted  was  a  leader.  And  Pao  was  able  to  lead.  He 
knew  the  way  to  establish  a  Christian  community. 
Chapels  were  built;  schools  were  formed;  in  course  of 
time  war  and  cannibalism  were  abolished.  Pao  did  not 
shrink  from  personal  danger;  the  darkest  haunts  of 
savage  fanaticism  were  visited  and  cleaned  out;  every 
village  was  shown  the  better  way. 


244  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Wten  tte  time  came  for  the  guiding  hand  of  Euro- 
pean missionaries  and  they  arrived  on  Lifu  to  organise 
the  work  in  permanence,  they  found  material  for  eight 
churches  each  with  thirty  members,  confessed  fol- 
lowers of  Christ.  Later  the  indispensable  training 
school  for  native  missionaries  was  established,  and  the 
island  which  Pao  of  Rarotonga  had  evangelised  began 
its  work  of  giving  forth  the  blessing  it  had  received. 

In  1871  when  the  decision  was  made  to  open  a  mis- 
sion in  l^ew  Guinea,  the  call  was  given  on  Lifu  for 
native  volunteers  to  go  to  that  island  of  dark  reputa 
Every  native  pastor  in  Lifu  and  every  student  in  the 
mission  seminary  volunteered  for  the  perilous  enter- 
prise. Albeit  only  two  were  appointed  for  the  service, 
one  being  Gucheng,  a  convert  ef  Lifu,  a  marvellous  man, 
later  head  of  the  Papuan  Training  School. 

In  1893  the  people  of  Lifu  placed  an  obelisk  above 
the  grave  of  Pao,  their  first  evangelist,  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  first  coming  to 
their  island.    The  inscription  reads, 

"A  memorial  of  the  jubilee  of  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  this  land;  this  stone  is  erected  over  the  grave 
of  Pao,  who  first  brought  the  Word  of  Ood  to  this 
Country." 


KEKELA  AND  ABKAHAM  LINCOLN 

Once  upon  a  time,  an  island  chieftain  from  the  South 
Seas  was  stranded  in  Hawaii  far  to  the  north  of  the 
equator.  Finding  himself  in  a  civilised  Christian  com- 
munity he  was  vastly  struck  by  its  superiority  to  condi- 
tions in  his  own  home,  Marquesas,  one  of  the  worst 
cannibal  groups  under  the  Southern  Cross.  Was  it  pos- 
sible that  such  benefits  could  be  conveyed  to  his  far-off 
islands  ?  Could  the  Hawaiians,  would  they,  send  mis- 
sionaries to  Marquesas? 

The  Hawaiians,  being  ardently  missionary  in  senti- 
ment, responded  generously.  A  large  sum  of  money  was 
raised  and  a  vessel  chartered  and  despatched  to  the 
Marquesas.  On  board,  besides  this  Chief,  were  two 
ordained  Hawaiian  ministers,  one  of  whom  was  Kekela, 
two  deacons  with  their  wives  and  others. 

Kekela  settled  on  the  Island  of  Hivaoa,  near  a  rock 
platform  famous  for  barbaric  sports,  pagan  orgies  and 
cannibal  feasts.  In  the  year  1864,  Mr.  Whalon,  a 
United  States  iNaval  Officer  on  board  the  American  ship 
Congress,  was  kidnapped  on  going  ashore,  stripped  of 
his  clothing  by  the  Marquesan  savages,  taken  to  this 
place  of  infernal  rites,  chained  and  tortured.  On  the 
morrow  he  was  to  be  killed  and  his  flesh  devoured,  partly 
as  occasion  for  high  festival,  partly  as  revenge  for  out- 
rages of  a  Peruvian  slave-trader  recently  suffered  by  the 

245 


246  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

island  folk.  Death  itself  cannot  satisfy  their  instinct  of 
vengeance;  the  enemy's  flesh  must  be  eaten. 

Early  on  the  following  morning,  Kekela,  having 
learned  what  had  happened,  hastened  to  the  spot,  cut 
the  white  man's  fetters  and  rushed  him  to  a  spot  on  the 
shore  where  his  own  mission-boat  lay  at  anchor.  Bid- 
ding the  officer  enter  it  without  delay  and  row  for  his 
life  to  his  vessel  which  was  standing  off  the  island, 
Kekela  stood  his  ground  before  the  angry  natives  as  they 
discovered  the  loss  of  their  prey.  Appeased  by  the  pay- 
ment of  a  heavy  ransom,  the  savages  abandoned  their 
first  threats  of  vengeance ;  Kekela's  life  was  spared  and 
spared  for  nearly  fifty  years  of  faithful  service  on  the 
Marquesas  Islands. 

When  President  Lincoln  heard  of  this  incident,  he 
wrote  a  letter  to  Kekela  expressing  the  nation's  thanks 
for  his  heroic  rescue  of  a  United  States  officer  and  citi- 
zen, and  with  the  letter  sent  gifts  and  medals  of  five 
hundred  dollars'  value. 

The  reply  of  the  humble  native  missionary  to  the 
President's  letter  follows : 

"When  I  saw  one  of  your  countrymen,  a  citizen  of 
your  great  nation  ill-treated,  and  about  to  be  baked  and 
eaten  as  a  pig  is  eaten,  I  ran  to  save  him,  full  of  pity 
and  grief  at  the  evil  deed  of  these  benighted  people.  I 
gave  my  boat  for  the  stranger's  life.  This  boat  came 
from  James  Hunnewell,  a  gift  of  friendship.  It  be- 
came the  ransom  of  this  countryman  of  yours  that  he 
might  not  be  eaten  by  the  savages  who  knew  not  Jehovah. 
This  was  Mr.  Whalon  and  the  date  Jan.  14,  1864. 

"As  to  this  friendly  deed  of  mine  in  saving  Mr. 
WTialon,  its  seed  came  from  your  great  land,  and  waa 
brought  by  certain  of  your  countrymen,  who  had  re* 


KEKELA  AND  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN        247 

ceived  the  lovo  of  God.  It  was  planted  in  Hawaii,  and 
I  brought  it  to  plant  in  this  land  and  in  these  dark 
regions  that  they  might  receive  the  root  of  all  that  is 
good  and  true,  which  is  love. 

"1.     Love  to  Jehovah. 

"2.     Love  to  self. 

"3.     Love  to  our  neighbour. 

"If  a  man  have  a  sufficiency  of  these  three,  he  is  good 
and  holy,  like  his  God  Jehovah  in  His  triune  character 
(Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost),  one-three,  three-one.  If 
he  have  two  and  wants  one,  it  is  not  well ;  and  if  he  have 
one  and  wants  two,  this  indeed  is  not  well;  but  if  he 
cherishes  all  three,  then  is  he  holy  indeed  after  the 
manner  of  the  Bible. 

"This  is  a  great  thing  for  your  great  nation  to  boast 
of,  before  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  From  your  great 
land,  a  most  precious  seed  was  brought  to  the  land  of 
darkness.  It  was  planted  here  not  by  means  of  guns 
and  men-of-war  and  threatenings.  It  was  planted  by 
means  of  the  ignorant,  the  neglected,  the  despised.  Such 
was  the  introduction  of  the  Word  of  the  Almighty  God 
into  this  group  of  iN'unhiwa.  Great  is  my  debt  to 
Americans,  who  have  taught  me  all  things  pertaining 
to  this  life  and  to  that  which  is  to  come. 

"How  shall  I  repay  your  great  kindness  to  me  ?  Thua 
David  asked  of  Jehovah  and  thus  I  ask  you,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  This  is  my  only  payment — 
that  which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord,  love — (aloha)." 


QKEAT-HEAKT  OF  NEW  GTJINEA 

When  James  Chalmers,  missionary  of  Inverness,  in 
the  year  1877  was  transferred  from  Rarotonga  to  New 
Guinea,  He  had  been  preceded  by  a  pioneer  band  of 
natives  among  whom  was  Ruatoka,  a  second-generation 
Rarotongan  Christian. 

Ten  years  earlier,  1867,  when,  on  first  coming  to 
the  South  Seas,  he  landed  on  Rarotonga,  Chalmers  had 
been  challenged  by  the  negro  who  was  carrying  him 
ashore  from  the  ship,  with  the  question, 

"What  fellow  name  belong  you  ?" 

Chalmers  replied,  giving  his  name.  This  being  un- 
pronounceable, the  man  roared  out  his  announcement  to 
those  on  shore  in  the  syllables :  Ta-mate,  which  appears 
a  common  native  cognomen  for  a  man  of  consequence. 
Thereafter  among  the  Pacific  Islands,  Chalmers  was 
known  as  Tamate. 

The  perilous  expedition  of  1877  to  New  Guinea  was 
of  Tamate' s  own  seeking. 

"For  years,"  he  said,  "I  had  longed  to  get  amongst 
real  heathen  and  savages,  and  I  was  disappointed  when 
we  landed  on  Rarotonga  and  found  them  so  much  civ- 
ilised and  Christianised." 

Here  we  have  the  keynote  of  the  man's  character. 
He  was  an  Athlete  of  Christ  emphatically;  body,  soul 
and  spirit  were  vital,  vigorous,  virile.  After  the  years 
of  calm,  pastoral  work  on  Rarotonga,  the  call  to  more 

248 


GREAT-HEART  OF  NEW  GUINEA  249 

daring  deeds  came  to  him.  It  was  welcome.  When 
Ruatoka's  band  of  native  teachers,  two  years  before, 
departed  for  New  Guinea,  he  had  written:  "How  I 
should  rejoice  to  accompany  them,  and  stand  in  the 
centre  of  Papua,  and  tell  of  infinite  Love !  The  nearer 
I  get  to  Christ  and  His  cross,  the  more  do  I  long  for 
direct  contact  with  the  heathen.  The  one  wish  is  to  be 
entirely  spent  for  Christ,  working,  consumed  in  His 
love." 

Echoes  of  Henry  Martyn  and  David  Livingstone  come 
to  us  in  those  words. 

When  Chalmers  reached  New  Guinea,  the  largest 
island  in  the  world,  and  certainly  in  its  population  one 
of  the  most  degraded,  ho  found  awaiting  him  at  Port 
Moresby,  Ruatoka  and  his  wife,  both  shining  lights  in 
that  dark  place.  Together,  the  missionary  and  the 
teacher  took  long  trips,  along  the  coast  and  inland,  pros- 
pecting for  a  strategic  point  at  which  to  plant  the  new 
mission.  Concerning  Ruatoka's  courage  and  constancy 
Tamate  gives  us  many  proofs  in  his  records  of  those 
days ;  of  which,  later.    What  of  Tamate  himself  ? 

We  do  not  often  see  our  missionaries  personally 
through  the  eyes  of  outsiders,  wholly  detached  from 
them  and  their  objective.  But  Robert  Louis  Stevenson, 
prejudiced  at  the  outset,  as  he  confesses,  against  mis- 
sions and  missionaries, — recognised  Chalmers'  great 
nature,  rendered  to  it  both  his  homage  and  his  love  in 
a  species  of  hero-worship,  and  thenceforth  did  justice  to 
the  work  and  workers  of  the  Cross  in  the  Pacific. 

The  two  men  with  their  wives  met  on  shipboard  en 
route  from  Sydney  to  Samoa  in  1890.  Stevenson,  as 
Tamate  described  it,  "had  bought  400  acres  of  land 
behind  Apia  and  was  going  to  squat."  Tamate  and 
his  wife  were  journeying  for  health  and  for  study  of 


250  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

missions  in  Samoa.  We  are  able  by  means  of  his  letters 
to  look  at  this  illustrious  Scotch  missionary  through  his 
great  companion's  eyes.  Writing  to  his  mother  from 
Vailima,  not  long  after  this  meeting,  Stex^enson  speaks 
of  going  to  Auckland  soon,  and  wys,  "I  shall  meet 
Tamate  once  more  before  he  disappears  up  the  Fly 
River,  perhaps  to  be  one  of  the  unreturning  brave — 
and  I  have  a  cuUus  for  Tamate;  he  is  a  man  nobody 
can  see  and  not  love.  Did  I  tell  you  I  took  the  chair  at 
his  missionary  lecture  by  his  own  desire?  I  thought 
you  would  like  that ;  and  I  was  proud  to  be  at  his  side 
even  for  so  long.  He  has  plenty  faults  like  the  rest  of 
us,  but  he's  as  big  as  a  church.  I  am  really  highly 
mitonari  now,  like  your  true  son." 

From  a  letter  of  Stevenson's  of  later  date  to  Tamate 
himself,  we  quote  the  exquisite  and  significant  passages 
which  follow:  The  writer,  having  expected  to  meet 
Tamate  by  appointment  in  Auckland,  writes  to  express 
his  disappointment  in  being  unable  tO'do  so  on  account 
of  conditions  at  Vailima. 

"You  must  go  without  my  farewell;  and  I  must  do 
without  the  inspiration  of  seeing  you.  ...  I  am  a  man 
now  past  forty,  Scotch  at  that,  and  not  used  to  big  ex- 
pressions in  friendship;  and  used  on  the  other  hand  to 
be  very  much  ashamed  of  them.  'Now,  when  I  break 
my  word  to  you,  I  may  say  so  much : — I  count  it  a  privi- 
lege and  a  benefit  to  have  met  you.  I  count  it  a  loss 
not  to  meet  with  you  again.  .  .  . 

"I  hope  Mrs.  Chalmers  will  not  mind  if  I  send  also 
my  love  to  her;  and  my  wife's.  How  often  have  we 
talked  of  you  both!  ...  I  ask  you  as  a  particular 
favour,  send  me  a  note  of  the  most  healthy  periods  in 
!New  Guinea.  I  am  only  a  looker-on.  I  have  a  (rather 
heavy)  charge  of  souls  and  bodies.     If  I  can  make  out 


GREAT-HEART  OF  NEW  GUINEA  251 

any  visit,  it  must  be  done  sensibly,  and  with  the  least 
risk.  But  oh,  Tamate,  if  I  had  met  you  when  I  was  a 
boy  and  a  bachelor,  how  different  my  life  would  have 
been  I 

"Dear  Mrs.  Chalmers,  you  say  (and  very  justly), 
'Tamate  is  such  a  rowdy' — your  own  excellent  expres- 
sion. I  wonder  if  even  you  know  what  it  means,  to 
a  man  like  me  ...  to  meet  one  who  represents  the 
essential,  and  w^ho  is  so  free  from  the  formal,  from  the 
grimace.  My  friend,  Mr.  Clarke,  said,  'I  wish  I  could 
have  him  for  a  colleague  to  keep  me  up  to  the  mark.' 
So  I;  I  wish  I  had  him  for  a  neighbour  to  keep  me 
human. 

"Farewell !  forgive  me  my  failure.  I  think  your 
Master  would  have  had  me  break  my  word.  I  live  in 
the  hope  of  seeing  you  again.  I  pray  God  watch  over 
you.    Your  sincere  friend,  R.  L.  S." 

Such  a  letter  is  worth  a  thousand  formal  eulogies. 
It  gives  us  Tamate,  the  man. 

For  the  man  Ruatoka,  Tamate's  humble  friend,  we 
have  many  vivid  and  affectionate  portrayals,  as  he 
pressed  forward  in  the  dangerous  and  difficult  effort  of 
evangelising  the  savage  tribes  of  New  Guinea. 

For  the  sake  of  strangers,  this  man  faced  hostile 
bands,  ready  to  take  his  life,  that  so  he  might  save  the 
white  man  and  give  the  knowledge  of  his  Master  to  the 
ferocious  cannibal.  Once  he  rescued  from  death  a  fever- 
stricken  Englishman,  left  to  die  alone  in  the  wilderness. 
Chalmers  thus  described  Ruatoka's  line  of  action  on 
hearing  of  the  man's  plight :  "Ruatoka  got  a  long  piece 
of  cloth,  a  small  lantern  and  bottle  of  water  and  started 
(from  Port  Moresby)  in  the  dark.  About  five  miles 
out  he  was  searching  in  the  long  grass  when  he  heard  a 
low  moaning,  and  going  whence  the  sound  came,  he 


252  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

found  poor  Neville  nearly  dead,  then  fastening  the  cloth 
around  him,  he  bent  down,  and  taking  the  two  ends  in 
his  hands,  and  using  all  his  strength,  he  got  the  sick 
man  on  his  back  and  began  the  return  journey.  He 
had  to  cross  a  range  of  hills  over  300  feet  high,  and  as 
day  was  breaking,  he  arrived  at  his  house,  and  laid 
the  sick  man  on  their  one  bed,  to  be  cared  for  by  his 
wife,  while  he  lay  down  dead  beat.  ISTeville  was  nursed 
back  to  life  and  was  able  to  return  inland." 

A  quaint  but  forcible  lesson  in  Sabbath-keeping  was 
given  at  the  mission  in  New  Guinea  by  Ruatoka  on  a 
certain  Sunday.  He  was  a  strict  Sabbatarian,  and  any 
infraction  of  the  Fourth  Commandment  vexed  his  eoul 
deeply. 

On  this  particular  Sunday  morning,  Ruatoka  was 
holding  his  service  in  the  Chapel  when  he  was  disturbed 
by  a  loud  noise  of  hammering  iron.  It  proceeded  from 
a  new  cook-house  close  at  hand  which  a  German  settler 
was  building  next  his  store.  This  settler  had  hired  a 
Scotchman  who  happened  to  have  come  in  from  the 
river,  to  finish  his  roof.  Ruatoka  stood  the  noisy  inter- 
ruption to  his  service  for  a  short  time;  then  dismissed 
his  congregation,  took  his  English  Bible  (which  he  could 
read,  however,  but  slightly)  and  marched  solemnly  to 
the  cook-house.  The  German  proprietor  sat  on  the  door- 
step of  his  store  watching  the  workman  on  the  roof. 
Advancing  to  a  spot  just  below  the  man,  Ruatoka,  who 
could  speak  only  a  little  "Pidgen  English,"  pointed  to 
him  and  called,  "Say,  come  down."  The  white  man, 
astonished  at  this  abrupt  order  from  a  native,  made  no 
reply.  Ruatoka  spoke  again, — "Say  you  know  savee,  I 
speak  come  down."  Upon  this,  the  workman  in  very 
strong  language  ordered  "the  nigger"  to  betake  himself 
to  the  infernal  regions.     "What  do  you  talk?"  cried 


GREAT-HEART  OF  NEW  GUINEA  25S 

Ruatoka,  nothing  daunted,  gathering  words  as  his 
righteous  wrath  kindled,  ''You  white  fellow  send  mia- 
eionary  along  my  country  and  my  country  he  get  good, 
and  he  like  Sabati  much.  Before  my  countrymen  he 
eat  you,  but  no  now.  I  come  along  New  Guinea,  I 
epeak  man  Sabati  tabu,  he  no  work,  no  fish,  no  hunt, 
no  build  house  on  Sabati.  !New  Guinea  man,  he  say, 
Ruatoka,  you  make  lie;  white  man  he  work  Sabati. 
What  for  you  make  him  ?    Come  down." 

This  oration  was  received  with  fresh  oaths  and  Rua- 
toka's  wrath  rose  higher.  He  was  a  tall  powerful  man 
and  he  was  in  earnest.  He  put  his  foot  on  the  ladder 
to  ascend  to  the  roof. 

The  German,  watching  from  his  doorstep,  seeing  the 
case  hopeless  that  day  for  his  roof,  intervened.  "Rua- 
toka,  my  friend,  stop !"  he  cried.  Then  shouted  to  the 
Scotchman,  "You  fool,  come  down  at  once.  Can't  you 
see,  it  is  our  friend,  the  teacher,  and  we  are  wrong  ?" 

Ruatoka  stood  aside  in  silence  while  the  man  came 
down  the  ladder;  then  with  sternness  which  would  tol- 
erate no  trifling,  he  placed  the  Bible,  open  to  the  Fourth 
Commandment,  in  his  hand  and  ordered  him  to  read 
it  and  at  once.  Overawed,  the  white  man  obeyed  the 
despised  "nigger."  Then,  very  quietly,  Ruatoka  said, 
"God,  He  speak  you  no  work  now.  Put  down  hammer 
belong  you." 

There  was  a  quiet  Sabbath  on  the  testimony  of 
Tamate,  for  the  remainder  of  that  day. 


On  April  4,  1901,  Chalmers  at  Daru,  entered  in  his 
brief  diary:  "6  A.  M.  S.  E.  strong.  Heavy  showers; 
8.40  A  .M.  blowing  and  showers.  Hope  to  leave.  Will 
go  down  and  see." 


254.  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

This  was  written  in  the  mission  house  at  Dam,  his 
station  on  the  west  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Papua,  a  lonely 
place,  and  Tamate  a  weary  man  of  sixty  now,  his  wife 
dead,  his  health  breaking  under  the  prolonged  strain  of 
hard  work  and  many  dangers. 

Between  the  few  lines  of  this  record,  we  can  read 
the  few,  fatal  facts.  Tamate  was  bound  on  one  more 
exploring  tour,  for  he  had  set  his  heart  on  establishing 
mission  stations  all  along  the  coast  from  Cape  Black- 
wood to  the  Fly  Delta.  It  was  on  this  errand  he  "hoped 
to  leave."  His  next  step  was  to  go  down  to  the  water's 
edge  where  the  mission  boat,  the  Nine,  lay  and  take  an 
observation  of  the  weather  and  the  prospects  for  a  start. 

The  start  was  made  later  in  the  day.  On  the  7th, 
Easter  Sunday,  the  Nine  anchored  off  the  village  of 
Dopima  on  Goaribari  Island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Omati 
River.  On  the  8th,  Tamate  with  his  young  colleague, 
the  Eev.  Oliver  Tomkins  (whom  he  loved)  and  ten  lads 
from  the  same  mission,  went  ashore  in  the  whale-boat 
to  return  in  half  an  hour.  The  party  left  on  board  the 
Nine,  watched  for  their  return  during  the  day;  they 
watched  through  the  long  night.  No  sign  of  their 
friends  along  the  island's  coast  came  with  the  morning. 
In  the  morning  of  the  9th,  the  Nine  left  for  Dam  to 
report  the  matter  to  the  governor.  That  there  had  been 
foul  play  was  obvious. 

Tamate  with  Tomkins  and  their  attendants  were 
dead,  massacred  at  Dopima  in  cold  blood  by  the  savages 
they  had  come  to  befriend. 

The  Lieut.  Governor  of  British  New  Guinea  in  his 
full  official  report  of  the  tragedy  and  the  just  punish- 
ment dealt  the  perpetrators  of  it  wrote, — "The  locality 
is  one  which  has  a  very  bad  reputation ;  the  population 
is  large  and  savage.  ...  It  was  stated  by  the  survivors 


GREAT-HEART  OF  NEW  GUINEA  255 

of  the  Nine  that  Mr.  Chalmers  probahly  anticipated 
some  danger,  as  he  wished  to  leave  Mr.  Tomkins ;  but 
the  latter  would  not  let  him  go  without  him,  and  they 
were  called  away  together  at  each  other's  side.  I  am 
not  alone  in  the  opinion  that  Mr.  Chalmers  has  won  the 
death  he  would  have  wished  for  of  all  others — in  New 
Guinea  and  for  Kew  Guinea." 


Upon  the  loss  of  his  friend,  Ruatoka  (who  survived 
Tamate  but  two  years)  wrote  to  the  Reverend  H.  M. 
Dauncy,  a  fellow-worker  in  New  Guinea,  a  letter  which 
gives  singular  and  striking  proof  of  the  Christ-like  influ- 
ence of  Chalmers'  life  and  spirit. 

"May  you  have  life  and  happiness,"  wrote  Ruatoka. 
"At  this  time  our  hearts  are  very  sad  because  Tamate 
and  Mr.  Tomkins  and  the  boys  are  not  here,  and  we 
shall  not  see  them  again.  I  have  wept  much.  My 
father,  Tamate's  body  I  shall  not  see  again,  but  his 
spirit  we  shall  certainly  see  in  Heaven,  if  we  are  strong 
to  do  the  work  of  God  thoroughly  and  all  the  time.  .  .  . 
Hear  my  wish.  It  is  a  great  wish.  The  remainder  of 
my  strength  I  could  spend  in  the  place  where  Tamate 
and  Mr.  Tomkins  were  killed ;  in  that  village,  I  would 
live.  In  that  place  where  they  killed  men,  Jesus  Christ's 
name  and  His  word  I  would  teach  to  the  people,  that 
they  may  become  Jesus'  children.  My  wish  is  just  this. 
You  know  it.    I  have  spoken.'' 


Part  Six:  THE  SPLENDID  ADVEN- 
TUROUS THIRTIES 


"From  the  first,  the  missionary  in  India  has  been  a  pioneer 
in  all  that  enriches  life.  He  was  a  pioneer  in  higher  English 
education;  in  primary  education  among  the  ignorant  masses; 
in  education  for  women;  in  medical  work  of  all  kinds;  and 
now  by  common  consent,  the  missionary  is  the  pioneer  in 
the  most  successful  and  useful  lines  of  industrial  training 
and  development." 

Robert  A.  Hume. 

"God  has  been  silently  and  peacefully  doing  His  work,  but 
He  has  infinitely  greater  designs  than  these.  It  is  not  His 
will  that  the  influences  set  forth  by  Him  shall  cease  at  this 
point.  Kather  shall  they  course  out  to  the  very  ends  of  the 
earth." 

Echoes  from  Edinburgh. 

"Women  are  needed  for  missions  as  well  as  men.  On  the 
whole,  I  think  women  make  better  missionaries  than  men," 

Sir  Harry  Johnston. 

American  Board  reports  from  Angola,  "West  Africa,  state 
that  the  Chief  of  the  Galenge  Tribe  refuses  longer  to  rule 
unless  a  missionary  is  sent  to  live  among  his  people.  He 
says,  "I  cannot  control  the  Galenge  unless  I  have  schools 
like  those  of  the  American  Mission  among  the  Ovimbundu." 


I 

THE  DECADE 

1832-18J^2 

The  year  1830  was  designated  by  the  London  Spec- 
tator as  the  "real  birth  year"  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  decade  from  1832  to  1842,  fifth  decade  from  the 
annus  mirdbilis  of  Modem  Protestant  Missions — 1792 
— might  be  said  to  mark  the  coming  of  age  of  the  move- 
ment. 

Great  forces  were  now  at  work  in  India,  China, 
Moslem  Lands,  Africa,  the  Islands  of  the  Seas.  The 
main  lines  of  action  followed  to-day  were  already  laid 
down  or  projected.  Great  men  stood  at  their  posts. 
Carey  in  India  and  Morrison  in  China,  hoth  died  in 
183Jt,  but  strong  men  stood  ready  to  take  their  places. 

Organisation  at  the  Home  Base  was  now  largely 
effected  in  the  major  denominations  of  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States.  From  this  time,  the  emphasis 
for  us  is  in  the  main  transferred  from  the  work  of  the 
British  Societies  to  our  own,  and  from  pioneering  to 
expansion.  A  high  tide  of  missionary  consecration,  as 
of  missionary  adventure  and  initiative,  swept  our 
churches  in  the  thirties.  Men  and  women  were  moved 
mightity.  Fresh  impetus  was  given  by  the  new  forces 
appearing  on  the  field,  under  marching  orders,  from 
the  great  bodies  of  American  Presbyterians  and  Epis- 
copalians. 

259 


260  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

The  first  note  of  organisation  by  women  for  foreign 
mission  work  came  from  Great  Britain  in  1834;  its 
purpose  being  to  evangelise  and  to  educate  women  of  the 
Orient.  There  were  great  revivals; — in  the  Friendly 
and  Sandwich  Islands,  in  South  India  and  in  New  Zea- 
land. A  conspicuous  feature  is  the  inauguration  of  new 
missions; — in  Persia,  Fiji,  the  Punjab,  Siam,  Madura, 
Java,  Orissa,  Samoa,  Assam ;  among  the  Telugus,  Garos 
and  Nagas ;  in  Liberia  and  at  certain  points  in  China. 

The  decade  is  marked  by  many  and  great  new  names : 
Melville  B.  Cox,  Titus  Coan,  Dr.  Peter  Parker,  James 
Calvert,  Bishop  Selwyn,  David  Livingstone.  And  Jud- 
son,  his  converts  now  a  thousand,  finishes  the  revision 
of  his  Burman  Bible,  while  the  Maori  l^ew  Testament, 
the  Tongan  Bible,  the  Persian  and  the  Hawaiian  trans- 
lations, are  published  in  complete  form. 

A  great  record  this  for  ten  years,  and  full  of  promise 
for  greater  to  follow. 


n 

THE  BIBLE  AND  THE  SCHOOL 

It  may  be  said  that  the  missionary's  heart  is  held  by 
the  passion  of  making  known  to  needy  men  the  love  of 
Christ, — evangelism  is  the  supreme  motive.  His  head, 
his  brain  power,  is  consecrated  to  the  structure  of  lan- 
guage itself,  where  this  is  required,  and  to  translation 
and  publication  of  the  Bible  and  Christian  literature. 
His  rie:ht  and  left  arms  are  Education  and  Medical 
Work.  His  tools  are  the  activities  and  appliances  of 
civilisation,  from  sanitation  and  banking,  down  to  mak- 
ing bricks.  These  varied  lines  of  labour  were  well  de- 
veloped in  our  Fifth  Decade. 

The  structure  of  dialects  and  languages,  the  transla- 
tion and  printing  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  in 
the  vernacular,  together  with  other  Christian  literature, 
have  from  the  first  formed  an  integral  part  of  every 
missionary  enterprise.  And  the  task  is  a  prodigious  one. 
With  the  civilised  nations,  such  as  India  or  China,  there 
was  a  written  language  to  begin  upon,  however  difficult 
to  master.  But  in  the  case  of  primitive  people,  such  as 
the  tribes  of  Africa  and  the  South  Sea  Islands,  the  first 
rudiments  of  alphabet  and  syllables  must  be  constructed ; 
while  definitions  could  be  achieved  only  by  the  closest 
and  most  accurate  study  of  the  actual  intercourse  of  the 
native  people.  In  various  tribes  it  was  almost  impos- 
sible to  discover  a  spoken  term  for  God,  for  gratitude, 
for  faith,  conscience,  hope,  law,  and  many  another  con- 
cept 

261 


262  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Only  unwearying  and  sympathetic  labour  could  re- 
duce these  primitive  dialects  to  writing,  could  produce 
in  them  grammar,  dictionary  and  Bible.  But  James  S. 
Dennis  is  authority  for  the  record  of  sixty-one  dic- 
tionaries of  different  African  tongues;  thirty-seven  for 
British  India,  twenty-one  for  China.  The  Bible,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  has  now  been  translated  into  600 
languages  and  dialects,  the  whole  Bible  into  135  lan- 
guages. The  I^^ew  Testament  itself  has  been  printed  in 
261  tongues.  "Huge  is  the  debt  which  philologists  owe 
to  the  labours  of  British  missionaries  in  Africa!"  Sir 
H.  H.  Johnston  comments  in  his  British  Central  Africa,. 
"By  evangelists  of  our  own  nationality  nearly  200 
African  languages  and  dialects  have  been  illustrated  by 
grammars,  dictionaries,  vocabularies,  and  translations  of 
the  Bible." 

Probably  the  Islanders  of  the  Southern  Pacific  were 
originally  the  most  completely  primitive  savages  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
among  them  the  Bible  in  whole  or  in  part  can  now  be 
found  in  at  least  forty  different  versions  suited  to  the 
different  tribes. 

The  earliest  pioneers  to  these  tribes  made  this  work 
of  language  and  translation  their  foremost  aim,  begin- 
ning with  Henry  IN'ott,  one  of  the  band  who  sailed  to 
Tahiti  in  1Y96  on  the  Duff,  and  who  laboured  on  his 
Tahitian  Bible  for  twenty  years.  John  Williams,  after 
working  hard  and  long  on  his  Rarotongan  ]*^ew  Testa- 
ment, went  to  England  to  see  it  through  the  press  in 
perfected  form.  After  four  years'  absence  he  returned 
to  the  island,  five  thousand  copies  of  his  hard-won 
Rarotongan  Testament  with  him,  on  the  missionary  ship 
Camden.  The  welcome  which  the  book  received  as  he 
distributed  it  among  the  native  people  crowding  around 


THE  BIBLE  AND  THE  SCHOOL  263 

him,  he  has  himself  described.  "Everyone,"  he  said, 
"was  eager  to  buy  a  copy.  One  man,  as  he  secured  hisy 
hugged  the  book  in  ecstasy ;  another  and  another  kissed 
it;  others  held  them  up  and  waved  them  in  the  air. 
Some  sprang  away  like  a  dart,,  and  did  not  stop  till  they 
entered  their  own  dwellings,  and  exhibited  their  treas- 
ures to  their  wives  and  children,  while  others  jumped 
and  capered  about  like  persons  half  frantic  with  joy." 
Education,  Christian  Education,  we  have  described 
as  the  missionary's  right  hand,  l^ote  its  growth.  In 
India  from  126  Protestant  mission  schools,  attended  by 
10,000  pupils  a  century  ago,  we  have  now  14,000  such 
schools,  attended  by  over  650,000  pupils;  and  38  well- 
equipped  Christian  colleges  in  place  of  one.  China,  with 
3,708  primary  mission  schools  and  553  academies  and 
high-grade  institutions,  has  18  colleges  and  universities. 
In  the  Turkish  Empire,  exclusive  of  Syria,  the  number 
of  Mission  Schools  before  the  war  was  reported  as  432 
with  eleven  colleges  and  four  Theological  and  Bible 
Schools.  Syria,  including  Palestine,  in  1914  was 
equipped  with  306  mission  schools  of  all  grades,  two 
colleges  and  two  Theological  Schools. 


rn 

EDUCATION  OF  WOllklEN  OF  THE  EAST 
ISSJt 

Accustomed  for  several  generations  in  the  United 
States  to  the  work  and  working  of  higher  education  for 
women,  it  is  only  those  familiar  with  the  conditions  of 
women  of  the  Orient  who  can  realise  what  the  achieve- 
ment of  colleges  for  these  connotes.  For  among  the 
Christian  colleges  ahove  mentioned,  four  in  India  are 
exclusively  for  women,  as  are  two  in  China,  and  in 
Turkey  one. 

Not  over  many,  to  be  sure,  but  a  beginning.  The 
general  depression  and  ignorance  of  the  women  of  the 
East  is  notorious  and  has  led  to  immeasurable  social 
debasement.  Of  the  women  of  India  only  one  per  cent 
can  read  and  write.  In  China  only  one  woman  in  each 
thousand  can  even  read.  In  both  these  vast  realms  the 
seclusion  and  subordination  of  women,  especially  among 
the  higher  classes,  is  entrenched  in  pre-historic  custom 
and  religion. 

The  Code  of  Manu,  India's  great  "moral  law,"  de- 
clares : 

"Sinful  woman  must  be  as  foul  as  falsehood  itself. 
This  is  a  fixed  law." 

"A  woman  must  never  rule  herself;  in  her  childhood 
she  obeys  her  father ;  in  her  youth,  her  husband ;  when 
her  husband  dies,  she  obeys  her  sons." 

264 


EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN  OF  THE  EAST     265 

"Though  destitute  of  every  virtue  or  seeking  pleasure 
elsewhere,  yet  a  husband  must  be  constantly  worshipped 
as  a  god  by  a  faithful  wife." 

A  common  proverb  runs,  "Educating  a  woman  is  like 
putting  a  knife  in  the  hands  of  a  monkey." 

It  is  not,  perhaps,  surprising  that  the  average  Hindu 
gentleman,  even  of  the  present  day,  though  himself 
university-bred,  quails  a  little  before  the  idea  of  educa- 
tion for  his  wife.  For  long  centuries  officially  entitled 
to  worship,  he  dreads  the  thought  that  its  fervour  might 
depend  in  some  degree  upon  his  own  individual  char- 
acter and  behaviour !  Woman  his  chattel,  his  plaything, 
his  useful  slave, — in  that  capacity  she  is  all  very  well. 
But  woman  his  equal,  his  comrade,  his  friend, — is  it 
conceivable  ? 

Twenty-six  centuries  of  Confucianism  have  given 
China  polygamy,  seclusion  of  women  by  foot-binding 
and  general  consent  of  public  opinion.  The  universal 
estimate  of  woman  is  as  a  necessary  evil  to  be  diligently 
kept  in  her  place.  The  following  is  one  of  the  sacred 
sayings  of  Confucius: 

"Women  are  as  different  from  men  as  earth  is  from 
heaven.  Women,  indeed,  are  human  beings,  but  they 
are  of  a  lower  state  than  men  and  can  never  attain  full 
equality  with  them.  The  aim  of  female  education, 
therefore,  is  perfect  submission,  not  cultivation  and  de- 
velopment of  the  mind." 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  awif  education  for  girls  and 
women  in  these  countries,  or  in  any  pagan  or  non- 
Christian  country,  is  the  result,  in  the  beginning,  of 
missionary  endeavour. 

The  first  school  for  girls  in  India  was  opened  at 
Serampore  in  1800  by  Hannah  Marshman,  who  seven 


266  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

years  later  established  a  second  school.  Mrs.  Marsh- 
man  was  a  woman  of  great  nobleness  of  character,  as 
well  as  of  conspicuous  intellectual  and  executive  ability. 
For  forty-six  years  she  devoted  herself  unremittingly 
to  the  education  of  India's  girls  and  women  with  an 
enthusiasm  and  devotion  which  never  failed. 

The  first  mission  school  for  girls  in  China  was  opened 
in  Singapore,  soon  after  the  memorable  visit  in  1834 
of  the  Eev.  David  Abeel  to  England.  Although  in  1820 
Miss  M.  A.  Cooke  had  gone  to  India  and  there  engaged 
successfully  in  educational  work  for  girls,  (she  being  the 
first  unmarried  woman  to  enter  the  foreign  field),  her 
example  had  not  been  followed  to  any  considerable  ex- 
tent. Mr.  Abeel  made  known  to  the  women  of  Great 
Britain  in  convincing  terms  the  dire  need  for  the  work 
of  single  women  among  the  secluded  women  of  China 
and  India.  He  appealed  definitely  for  two  objects: — 
women  to  go  out  as  educational  workers,  thus  relieving 
and  extending  the  labour  of  the  wives  of  missionaries 
to  whom  this  branch  of  service  had  hitherto  been  dele- 
gated ;  and,  second,  the  organisation  of  women's  boards 
at  the  home-base  to  sustain  and  stand  definitely  behind 
them. 

Mr.  Abeel's  appeal  stirred  the  Christian  women  of 
England  in  such  degree  that  there  was  organised  in 
that  same  year,  1834,  "The  Society  for  Promoting 
Female  Education  in  the  East."  Xot  until  1861  were 
like  steps  taken  in  America.  But  before  any  organisa- 
tion was  formed  among  us  to  encourage  the  entrance  of 
single  women  into  this  service,  Fidelia  Fiske  left  Mount 
Holyoko  to  go  to  the  remote  and  isolated  mission  at 
Urumia,  Persia.  At  the  head  of  this  mission  stood  Dr. 
Grant,  the  well-known  author  of  Mountain  Nestorians, 
This  was  in  1843.     Two  years  later  the  death  of  Dr. 


EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN  OF  THE  EAST     267 

Grant  left  Miss  Fiske  in  a  position  of  peculiar  isola- 
tion. Undaunted,  she  proceeded  to  develop  the  boarding 
school,  which  she  had  opened,  into  a  New  Holyoke. 
The  transformation  of  the  Persian  girls  under  her  care 
from  a  state  of  indescribable  moral,  mental  and  physical 
degradation  into  Christian  womanhood  is  one  of  the 
wonders  of  missions.  In  1846  a  remarkable  revival  of 
religion  began  which  continued  for  ten  years,  changing 
the  aspect  not  only  of  the  school  but  of  the  whole  mis- 
sion, its  character  and  its  prospects.  At  a  celebration 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  1858,  when  Miss  Fiske  by 
reason  of  failing  health  was  forced  to  leave  Persia, 
between  60  and  70  of  her  former  pupils  were  gathered 
with  her,  some  of  whom  had  to  travel  60  miles  to  bid 
her  farewell. 

In  1861  the  organisation  of  American  Christian 
women  for  the  furtherance  of  Foreign  Missions  began 
with  the  Woman's  Union  Missionary  Society,  founded 
by  Mrs.  Doremus  in  ISTew  York  City.  Following  this 
thirty-three  woman's  societies  were  formed  within 
twenty-one  years.  Each  one  of  these  is  engaged  in  large 
degree  in  the  promotion  of  woman's  education  in  non- 
Christian  lands.  Boarding  and  day  schools  for  girls 
from  the  primary  to  high-school  standards  are  now  scat- 
tered liberally  by  these  agencies  through  the  l!Tear  East, 
in  China,  Japan  and  in  India  and  to  lesser  extent  in 
Africa  and  the  Islands  of  the  Seas.  In  most  of  these 
industrial  education  in  some  form  is  carried  on.  Euro- 
pean and  American  women  are  still,  in  general,  at  the 
head  of  the  teaching  staffs. 

Here  we  discover  in  strong  light,  the  acute  demand 
for  native  colleges  for  women.  These  native  secondary 
schools  cannot  and  should  not  for  a  day  longer  than  is 
required  by  the  exigencies  of  the  case,  be  manned  by 


268  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

foreigners.  There  is  no  lack  of  capacity  among  the 
women  of  the  Orient  to  serve  as  teachers  even  in  the 
highest  grade  institutions.  What  they  lack  is  higher 
education  and  training  for  this  and  kindred  service  all 
along  the  line  of  advance. 

When,  in  Tremont  Street  Methodist  Church  in  Boa- 
ion  in  1869  a  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Church  had  heen  organised,  the  name  of 
Isabella  Thobum  vt^as  presented  to  the  just-bom  society 
as  one  vrho  stood  ready  to  sail  for  India  under  their 
auspices,  if  appointed.  The  proposition,  made  thus 
early,  staggered  many  of  those  present  as  premature, 
but  Mrs.  E.  F.  Porter  rose  and  exclaimed, 

''Shall  we  lose  her  because  we  have  not  the  needed 
money  in  our  hands  ?  ISTo,  rather  let  us  walk  the  streets 
of  Boston  in  calico  and  save  the  expense  of  more  costly 
apparel.  Mrs.  President,  I  move  the  appointment  of 
Miss  Thobum  as  our  missionary  to  India." 

The  response  of  the  meeting  was  unanimous,  "We  will 
send  her." 

Arrived  at  Lucknow  in  1870  Miss  Thobum  opened 
a  school  for  little  girls  in  a  single  room.  In  1884  this 
was  advanced  to  High  School  grade.  In  1886  it  became 
a  College,  affiliated  with  the  University  of  Allahabad. 
To-day  it  has  become  a  Union  College,  one  of  two  such 
now  open  in  India,  the  second  being  the  Woman's  Chris- 
tian College  of  Madras. 

In  1900  Miss  Thobum  was  present  at  the  epoch-mak- 
ing Ecumenical  Missionary  Conference  in  l^ew  York 
City.  In  her  address  to  that  body  on  April  24th  she 
gave  some  incisive  utterances  on  the  subject  of  college 
education  for  women.  "Dr.  Duff,"  she  declared,  "one 
of  the  great  educators,  said,  'You  might  as  well  try  to 
scale  a  Chinese  wall  fifty  feet  high  as  to  educate  the 


EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN  OF  THE  EAST     269 

women  of  India.'  The  wall  has  not  only  been  scaled, 
but  thrown  down.  .  .  .  There  is  nothing  to  compare 
with  the  opening  for  educated  women  in  Asia.  The 
West  cannot  supply  this  help  to  the  East,  there  are  not 
hands  enough.  .  .  .  Mission  policy  is  full  of  social  prob- 
lems. .  .  .  They  will  never  be  solved  by  men  alone, 
though  they  give  their  working  years  to  the  study.  We, 
as  missionaries,  are  doing  poor  work  for  the  women  if 
we  are  not  developing  leadership  in  themJ" 

With  Miss  Thobum  on  the  platform  that  day  waa 
her  former  pupil,  then  on  the  college  faculty  at  Luck- 
now,  Lilavati  Singh,  one  of  the  most  engaging  and  dis- 
tinguished of  the  women  of  India  who  have  visited 
America.  On  hearing  her  address  the  great  audience 
assembled,  Ex-President  Harrison  exclaimed,  "If  this 
was  the  only  result  of  the  money  spent  on  missions,  she 
would  justify  the  expense !" 

Lilavati  Singh  at  the  time  of  her  early  death,  1909, 
had  been  elected  president-elect  of  the  Isabella  Thobum 
College  to  become  successor  to  Miss  Thobum,  who  died 
in  the  year  following  the  Ecumenical  Conference. 


IV 

LOVEDALE  AND  OTHEES 

In  1841  the  first  school  combining  industrial  and 
agricultural  features  with  a  regular  educational  cur- 
riculum was  founded  at  Lovedale,  Cape  Colony,  Africa. 
While  started  by  the  Glasgow  Missionary  Society,  Love- 
dale  is  non-sectarian.  Its  distinctive  work  and  the  high 
degree  of  success  attained  make  an  irresistible  appeal 
to  the  co-operation  of  Christians  of  every  name. 

While  industrial  and  agricultural  training  have  been 
largely  introduced  in  India  and  other  lands  to  which 
the  mission  enterprise  has  found  its  way,  these  lines 
of  education  are  more  conspicuously  followed  in  Africa 
than  elsewhere,  owing  to  the  primitive  mental  develop- 
ment of  the  natives  and  the  crying  need  for  their  physi- 
cal uplift.     Says  Sir  Harry  H.  Johnston : 

"It  is  they  (missionaries)  too,  who  in  many  cases 
have  first  taught  the  natives  carpentry,  joinery,  masonry, 
tailoring,  cobbling,  engineering,  bookkeeping,  printing. 
.  .  .  Almost  invariably  it  has  been  to  missionaries  that 
the  natives  of  Interior  Africa  have  owed  their  first 
acquaintance  with  the  turning-lathe,  the  mangle,  the  flat- 
iron,  the  saw  mill  and  the  brickmould.  .  .  .  Instead  of 
importing  printers,  etc.,  from  England  or  India,  we 
are  gradually  becoming  able  to  obtain  them  amongst 
the  natives  of  the  country,  who  are  trained  in  the  mis- 
sionaries' schools,  and  who,  having  been  given  simple,, 

270 


LOVEDALE  AND  OTHERS  271 

■wholesome,  local  education,  have  not  had  their  heads 
turned,  and  are  not  above  their  station  in  life." 

Now  all  these  lines  of  useful,  practical  development 
being  embodied  successfully  in  Lovedale,  we  will 
enumerate  its  departments  as  typical  in  greater  or  less 
measure  of  mission  institutions  of  this  order. 

Boys'  Boarding  and  Day  Schools;  Girls'  Boarding 
and  Day  Schools ;  the  Institution  Church ;  the  Victoria 
Hospital;  High  School;  Training  School;  Theological 
Department ;  Elementary  School ;  Technical  Depart- 
ment; Carpentry  Department;  Printing  and  Binding 
Department;  Wagon-making  and  Black-smithing;  Post 
Office;  Book  Department;  Girls'  Industrial  Depart- 
ment; Farm  Department;  Special  Classes  in  Music, 
Needlework,  Woodwork,  etc. ;  Literary  Society ;  Sports ; 
Library;  Students'  Christian  Association. 

While  the  exact  number  of  pupils  at  Lovedale  in  the 
present  year  cannot  be  given,  it  may  be  said  that  b€>- 
tween  600  and  800  are  commonly  enrolled. 

In  specialised  agricultural  mission  work  the  outstand- 
ing exponent  is  Mr.  Sam  Higginbottom  of  India.  From 
all  parts  of  the  land  young  men,  including  native  princes 
and  nobles,  flock  to  his  Agricultural  School  at  Allahabad 
for  practical  training.  This  American  missionary  is 
the  recognised  expert  in  his  line  of  Northern  India.  At 
the  same  time  he  retains  his  connection  with  Ewing 
College,  where  he  is  free  to  teach  Christ  to  all  who  come 
under  his  influence. 

Mr.  Higginbottom  has  introduced  modem  American 
agricultural  machinery  into  India  and  has  raised  the 
yield  of  wheat  per  acre  from  the  old  average  of  ten 
bushels  to  a  yield  of  25  to  30  bushels.  The  fame  of 
this  most  vital  achievement  has  spread  far  and  wide.    In 


272  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

it  lies  promise  and  potency  of  ultimate  conquest  of  the 
scourge  of  those  famines  which  from  time  to  time  devas- 
tate India. 


The  British  Government  in  India  has  met  a  imique 
problem  in  the  existence  of  a  hereditary  criminal  class, 
similar  to  the  more  formidable  thugs  of  an  earlier  day. 
These  are  known  as  the  Enikalas  or  Red  Thieves'  Tribe. 
The  Government,  finding  itself  almost  impotent  either 
to  control  or  to  reform  these  restless  criminals  has 
recently  placed  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  hands  of  the 
Salvation  Army  and  of  Baptist  and  Methodist  mission- 
aries with  a  view  to  their  betterment.  The  result  of 
this  enterprise  appears  in  the  reduction  of  crime  75 
per  cent  in  one  year. 

At  Kavali,  South  India,  and  in  adjacent  villages  is  a 
famous  settlement  of  1800  of  these  outlaws,  in  charge 
of  the  Rev.  Samuel  D.  Bawden,  an  athletic  young  mis- 
sionary of  almost  a  giant's  stature.  He  is  an  earnest 
Christian,  possessed,  in  particular,  of  a  certain  com- 
pelling kindliness  of  nature. 

The  late  Rev.  A.  H.  Strong,  D.D.,  a  visitor  to 
Kavali,  testifies: 

"The  success  of  it  proves  its  value.  There  are  no 
prison  walls.  There  are  no  punishments  except  depri- 
vation of  food-wages.  Each  member  of  the  conmiunity 
is  paid  in  food,  and  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  his 
labours.  If  he  will  not  work,  neither  can  he  eat.  Op- 
portunities for  education  are  given  to  all.  There  is 
even  a  church  made  up  of  converted  criminals.  .  .  . 
^Nothing  is  given  away  but  education  and  Christian 
influence.  Everything  for  the  physical  man  is  earned. 
In  this  way  hundreds  of  reformed  criminals  learn  to 


LOVEDALE  AND  OTHERS  27S 

gain  their  own  living  and  to  lead  an  honest  life.  It 
was  pathetic  to  see  the  reverence  and  affection  of  theae 
humble  men  for  their  'big  father,'  or  'our  Saviour,  Mr. 
Bawden/  " 


Oriental  countries  overflow  with  orphans  by  reason  of 
constantly  recurrent  flood,  famine,  and  warfare,  but 
until  missionaries  came  upon  the  scene  no  institution 
resemblino;  an  orphanage  had  been  known  in  them. 

Millions  of  men  in  India  and  China  are  able  to  earn 
but  six  cents  a  day.  This  must  suffice  in  general  to  pro- 
vide lodging,  food  and  clothing  for  a  family.  It  is 
easy  to  see  that  there  is  but  a  step  between  such  families 
and  starvation.  Scanty  harvest  and  lack  of  work  are 
common  misfortunes,  hence  localised  famines  are  of 
constant  occurrence,  to  say  nothing  of  the  terrible 
scourges  which  at  intervals  sweep  large  territories. 
The  parents,  with  the  instinct  of  parenthood,  deny  them- 
selves the  scanty  food  attainable  for  the  sake  of  their 
children.  Thus  they  die  of  starvation  and  hundreds  of 
helpless  orphans  are  left  behind. 

Dr.  William  Butler,  the  famous  Methodist  mission- 
ary to  I^orth  India,  was  among  the  first  to  establish 
orphanages  for  these  piteous  waifs.  ISTo  Mohammedan 
or  Hindu  hand  reached  out  to  succour  them.  'No  trait, 
indeed,  is  more  conspicuous  in  these  peoples  than  their 
apathy  in  the  face  of  suffering. 

It  was  as  an  act  of  faith,  as  well  as  of  benevolencOj 
that  Dr.  Butler  in  1860,  on  the  occasion  of  a  famine  in 
Kohilcund,  opened  the  doors  of  his  mission  to  a  hundred 
and  fifty  of  the  orphans  in  his  neighbourhood.  There 
came  flooding  in  upon  him  children  of  all  ages,  from 
three  months  to  thirteen  years,  weak,  emaciated,  some 


274  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

dying.  Devoted  care  saved  all  but  fifteen  of  the  munber. 
From  this  beginning  sprang  two  orphanages  under  Dr. 
Butler's  care, — Christian  homes,  where  the  children  en- 
joyed wholesome  and  happy  conditions,  and  were  trained 
and  educated  for  useful  lives. 

In  some  cases,  in  the  great  famines,  a  single  mission- 
ary has  been  known  to  rescue  and  care  for  seven  hun- 
dred children  until  they  could  be  distributed  among 
different  orphanages.  The  orphanage  has  become  one 
of  the  familiar  features  of  the  missionary  economy. 
They  are  homes  of  industry;  dairy-farming,  rope- 
making,  carving,  weaving,  wood-working,  together  with 
exquisite  art  and  craft  in  lace  and  linen  work  are  among 
the  occupations  by  which  these  growing  boys  and  girls 
are  trained  to  self-support. 

An  institution  of  this  general  class  at  Dohnavur,  in 
the  Tinnevelli  District  of  South  India,  illustrates  one 
of  the  darkest  sides  of  Hinduism.  There  is  probably 
no  company  of  orphans  so  tragically  orphaned  in  the 
world  as  this.  It  is  the  home  of  little  girls  rescued  by 
Miss  Amy  Carmichael  and  her  fellow-workers  of  the 
Church  of  England  Zenana  Society,  from  the  life  of 
temple-harlots,  into  which  they  have  been  sold  in  early 
infancy  by  their  parents.  The  Hindu  title  of  these 
doomed  children  is  devadasis,  servants  or  slaves  of  the 
gods.  Slaves  of  the  priests  would  be  the  accurate  title. 
The  ceremony  of  giving  over  one  of  these  little  girls  to 
her  hideous  vocation  is  called  being  married  to  the  god, 
or  tied  to  the  stone — image  of  the  god. 

In  face  of  the  stern  opposition  of  the  Brahman 
authorities,  Miss  Carmichael,  and  those  associated  with 
her  in  the  Dohnavur  mission,  have  rescued  two  hundred 
of  these  little  girls  from  the  unspeakable  degradation 
to  which  they  were  devoted,  and  have  established  a 


LOVEDALE  AND  OTHERS  275 

Christian  home  for  them.  At  Dohnavur  are  more  than 
twenty  separate  nurseries,  a  hospital  and  school  build- 
ings. With  tender  care  and  invincible  patience  these 
miserable  little  ones  are  led  to  cleanliness  of  thought 
and  life,  of  soul  and  body.  There  is  plenty  of  playtime 
and  playroom  for  them, — a  swimming-pool,  charming 
flower  gardens  and  playgrounds.  There  is  a  !Kindergar- 
ten  for  the  youngest  little  waifs  and  schools  of  different 
grades  for  the  older  ones.  They  grow  up  sweet,  upright, 
Christian. 

But  what  of  the  religious  system  which  creates  the 
need  for  Miss  Carmichael's  Christlike  enterprise  ?  Ex- 
ponents of  the  lofty  philosophy  of  Hinduism  pass  very 
lightly  over  the  human  sacrifice  of  the  temple  girls.  A 
Swami,  unable  to  deny  the  fact,  says  placidly,  "The 
Temple  worship  is  one  thing,  and  religious  teaching  is 
another."  And  very  wisely  so.  The  crafty  Brahman 
keeps  on  the  safe  side  of  the  law,  but  within  his  own 
domains  his  despotism  is  absolute.  The  temple  is  his 
domain. 

Sometimes,  as  Miss  Carmichael  shows  us  in  her 
volume.  Things  As  They  Are,  a  young  girl  in  a  high 
caste  home  has  had  even  the  courage  to  break  her  own 
chains  and  confess  Christ.  The  result?  She  disap- 
pears. Sometimes  she  is  immured  for  life  in  a  dark 
comer  of  the  Hindu  house ;  sometimes  a  frail  little  body 
is  found  thrown  outside  the  house  door.  A  crime  ?  Yes. 
But  nobody  is  convicted.  Caste  sees  to  that.  Probably 
a  priestly  interdict  will  be  laid  upon  a  whole  village, 
forbidding  all  further  communication  with  Christian 
missionaries.  You  can  hear  the  echo  of  all  this  fright- 
fulness  in  Rudyard  Kipling's  groan, — "The  fotindations 
of  life  are  rotten,  utterly  rotten,  beastly  rotten,'* 

So  much  for  the  beauty  of  Hinduism ! 


V 

FLOW  AND  EBB  IN  MADAGASCAE 
1832-1869 

The  missionary  story  of  this  great  postscript  to 
Africa,  third  largest  island  on  the  globe,  is  deeply 
marked  by  the  names  of  two  native  queens,  Eanavalona 
I  and  Ranavalona  II.  The  first  name  is  a  synonym  of 
infamous  cruelty.  Ranavalona  I  is  commonly  desig- 
nated as  another  Bloody  Mary,  but  the  title  is  wholly 
inadequate.  The  second  name  is  that  of  a  wise  and 
gentle  Christian  queen. 

In  the  early  thirties,  the  native  Christian  Church  of 
Madagascar  was  established  upon  foundations  laid  by 
the  London  Missionary  Society  as  far  back  as  1818. 
Important  portions  of  the  Bible  translated  into 
Malagasy  were  freely  circulated  and  education  was 
advancing  rapidly,  in  1833  30,000  natives  being  able 
to  read.  There  were  then  2,000  professed  Christians 
belonging  to  the  native  churches.  But  a  few  years 
earlier,  upon  the  death  of  King  Badama  I,  Ranavalona, 
one  of  his  twelve  wives,  had  snatched  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment from  his  lavsrful  successor, — a  fact  of  ten-ible 
import  to  the  infant  church.  She  began  her  reign  by 
putting  to  death  all  near  relatives  of  her  husband.  By 
reason  of  much  war-making,  Ranavalona  I  was  unable 
for  a  time  to  give  particular  attention  to  the  Christian 
community,  which,  though  alarmed  and  watchful,  pur- 

276 


FLOW  AND  EBB  IN  MADAGASCAR        277 

sued  its  peaceful  progress,  gathering  in  yearly  many 
converts  from  the  gross  heathenism  of  the  island. 

The  first  decisive  note  of  warning  was  sounded  in 
January,  1832,  when  prohibition  of  baptism  was 
enacted.  In  1834,  the  queen  forbade  any  native  to 
learn  to  road  or  write  except  in  government  service.  A 
year  later,  formal  accusation  against  the  Christians  was 
preferred  in  the  following  charges : 

1st.  They  despise  the  idols. 

2nd.  They  are  always  praying. 

3rd.  They  will  not  swear,  but  only  affirm. 

4th.  Their  women  are  chaste. 

5th.  They  are  of  one  mind  with  regard  to  their  re- 
ligion. 

6th.  They  observe  the  Sabbath  as  a  sacred  day. 

Holy  indictment!  A  thousand  and  six  hundred  souls 
pleaded  guilty  to  it.     Cruel  persecution  followed. 

The  missionaries  were  ordered  off  the  island. 
Severest  penalties  were  visited  upon  all  who  refused  to 
worship  the  idols  in  which  the  queen  had  declared  upon 
her  coronation  she  put  her  trust.  And  this  cruel  policy 
was  sustained  for  twenty-six  years.  Through  it  all,  in 
spite  of  chains,  torture  and  the  sword,  none  of  these 
native  Christians  turned  back  to  heathenism.  To  the 
amazement  of  the  queen,  for  everyone  whom  she  put  to 
death,  a  score  accepted  the  new  faith.  The  years  1839 
to  1842  were  marked  by  extreme  fury  of  persecution; 
a  lull  of  five  years  followed;  then,  in  1849,  another 
baptism  of  blood  came  upon  the  infant  church. 

On  the  28th  of  March,  1849,  nineteen  Christians,  all 
of  them  of  excellent  families  and  four  of  them  at  least 
from  the  highest  nobles,  were  condemned  to  die  for  the 


278  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

crime  of  being  Christians.  Fifteen  were  to  be  hurled 
over  the  cliffs  at  Ampamarinana,  a  perpendicular  wall 
of  rock  150  feet  high,  and  with  a  rocky  ravine  or  canon 
at  the  bottom.  This  is  now  known  as  the  Rock  of 
Hurling  of  Antananarivo.  This  was  counted  perhaps 
the  most  terrible  form  of  persecution.  The  queen  looked 
down  from  her  palace  windows  and  saw  her  subjects 
dashed  to  pieces  because  they  were  Christians.  The 
idols  were  taken  to  the  place  of  execution,  and  each 
victim  was  lowered  a  little  way  over  the  precipice  and 
the  demand  made,  "Will  you  worship  this  god?"  or, 
"Will  you  cease  to  pray  to  Christ  ?" 

The  answer  in  each  case  was  an  emphatic  "No."  And 
the  rope  was  cut,  and  the  martyrs  often  singing  as  they 
went,  were  hurled  down  upon  the  rocks  below. 

Only  one  of  the  condemned  was  spared — a  young  girl 
of  fifteen,  a  relative  and  favoui'ite  of  the  queen,  who, 
finding  her  firm^  caused  her  to  be  taken  away  and  sent 
to  a  distant  village  on  the  charge  that  she  was  insane. 
This  noble  girl,  Raviva  by  name,  lived  to  found  a  large 
Christian  church  in  the  place  where  she  was  exiled, 
and  to  bring  her  father  and  her  relatives  to  Christ. 

This  crime  was  followed  by  a  series  of  monstrous 
deeds.  Queen  Ranavalona  seeming  to  bend  all  her 
energies  to  the  invention  of  new  forms  of  ignominy  and 
torture  with  which  to  enhance  the  terrors  of  martyrdom. 
But  all  testimonies,  both  heathen  and  Christian,  prove 
that  not  only  was  there  no  recantation,  but  that  the 
terrible  deaths  to  which  the  native  Christians  were  sub- 
jected were  borne  with  quiet  heroism  and  unfaltering 
trust  in  God.  And  wonder  of  wonders, — the  little  com- 
pany of  believing  men  and  women,  left  by  their  English 
pastors  and  teachers  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd  in 


FLOW  AND  EBB  IN  MADAGASCAR        279 

1836,  had  multiplied  at  least  twenty  fold  in  1861,  the 
year  of  the  queen's  death. 

Her  immediate  successors,  although  not  openly  Chris- 
tian, were  prompt  and  sincere  in  their  efforts  at  restora- 
tion of  religious  liberty  in  their  realm.  In  1868,  when 
Ranavalona  II  came  to  the  throne,  the  joyful  word  went 
forth  that  Madagascar  was  to  be  a  Christian  kingdom, 
for  their  new  queen  was  herself  a  Christian  and  her 
life  proved  her  truly  consecrated  to  Christ.  She  and 
her  prime  minister,  soon  after  her  coronation,  were 
baptised  and  received  into  the  "palace-church."  Thus 
was  accomplished  the  supremacy  of  Christianity  in 
Madagascar. 

As  if  in  a  single  night,  a  great  evangelical  national 
church  sprang  into  being.  An  increase  of  16,000  wor- 
shippers was  recorded  in  this  year  and  the  cornerstone 
of  a  noble  Chapel  Royal  was  laid  in  the  Courtyard  of 
the  palace  where  in  the  reign  of  Ranavalona  I  of  dread- 
ful memory,  the  bloodiest  edicts  of  persecution  were 
proclaimed. 

Upon  stone  tablets,  forming  part  of  the  surface  of 
the  Chapel,  the  following  inscription,  read  at  the  laying 
of  the  cornerstone  in  1869,  is  engraved: 

"By  the  power  of  God  and  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus, 
I,  Ranavalomanjaka,  Queen  of  Madagascar,  founded 
the  House  of  Prayer,  on  the  thirteenth  Adimizana,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  1869,  as  a  house  of 
prayer  for  the  service  of  God,  King  of  kings  and  Lord 
of  lords,  according  to  the  word  in  sacred  Scriptures,  by 
Jesus  Christ  the  Lord,  who  died  for  the  sons  of  all  men, 
and  rose  again  for  the  justification  and  salvation  of  all 
who  believe  in  and  love  Him. 

"For  these  reasons  this  stone  house  founded  by  me 


280  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

as  a  house  of  prayer,  cannot  be  destroyed  by  anyone, 
"whoever  may  be  king  of  this  my  land,  forever  and  for- 
ever ;  but  if  he  shall  destroy  this  house  of  prayer  to  God 
which  I  have  founded,  then  he  is  not  king  of  my  land,- 
^Madagascar.  Wherefore  I  have  signed  my  name  with 
my  hand  and  the  seal  of  the  kingdom. 

"Ranavalomanjaka,  Queen  of  Madagascar." 

Tt  is  sad  to  record  that  in  1895,  the  island  of  Mada- 
gascar having  been  seized  by  the  French,  and  the  Jesuits 
having  established  themselves  in  the  ecclesiastical  seats 
of  the  mighty,  the  evangelical  churches  were  systemati- 
cally opposed,  religious  liberty  being  set  at  defiance. 
The  Paris  Missionary  Society  (Evangelical)  with  find 
courage  and  resolution,  has  come  to  the  aid  of  the  hard- 
pressed  Protestant  population  and  has  succeeded  in  pre- 
venting active  persecution.  But  the  heroic  development 
of  the  mid-nineteenth  century  has  been  suppressed  with 
a  heavy  hand.    The  end  is  not  yet. 


VI 
TITUS  COAN  OF  HILO 

1885-188^ 

From  Christianised  Tahiti,  about  1819,  a  waft  of 
purified  moral  air  was  blown  northward  over  the  Pacific 
to  heathen  Hawaii,  Amazing  tidings  of  a  new  religion, 
in  which  the  intolerable  system  of  tabu  was  done  away, 
excited  the  natives  of  the  Hawaiian  group  almost  to 
frenzy.  A  general  iconoclastic  rage  struck  them  amain. 
A  royal  proclamation  forbade  forever  the  worship  of 
images  in  the  islands. 

When,  in  1820,  the  first  group  of  American  mission- 
aries, headed  by  Hiram  Bingham  and  Asa  Thurston, 
landed  on  the  islands,  they  were  greeted  by  the  an- 
nouncement that  the  idols  had  been  destroyed.  Hawaii 
was  a  non-idolatrous  country.  This,  however,  did  not 
signify  that  it  was  a  Christian  country.  On  the  con- 
trary, king  and  people  alike  opposed  the  landing  of 
the  missionaries.  They  had  heard  enough  by  way  of 
Tahiti  to  know  that  polygamy,  intemperance,  gambling 
and  prostitution  had  no  plaoe  on  the  programme  of 
Christianity.  But  the  missionaries  succeeded  in  landing 
and  in  getting  to  work.  It  was  not  long  before  the  new 
Mission  won  its  way  into  the  upper  social  circles  of 
Hawaii.  Kings  and  queens  came  to  listen  and  some 
accepted  the  Gospel  teaching.  Most  conspicuous  was 
the  Princess  Kapiolani   (the  captive  of  heaven),  who 

281 


282  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

"was  descended  from  a  line  of  kings  and  was  the  wife 
of  the  national  orator. 

In  December,  1824,  she  determined  to  break  the  spell 
of  belief  in  Pele,  the  goddess  of  the  volcano.  For  this 
purpose  she  made  a  long  journey  to  Kilauea.  Her  hus- 
band and  a  multitude  of  friends  besought  her  not  to 
provoke  the  wrath  of  the  supposed  goddess.  A  priestess 
met  her  at  the  brink  of  the  crater  and  predicted  her 
death  if  she  persisted  in  her  course.  But  she  boldly 
descended  into  the  volcano  and  walked  to  the  brink  of 
the  burning  lake,  then  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  there 
defiantly  ate  the  berries  consecrated  to  the  goddess,  and 
threw  stones  into  the  fountains  of  fire.  As  she  did  this 
she  exclaimed,  "Jehovah  is  my  God.  He  kindled  these 
fires.  I  fear  not  Pele."  She  then  knelt  in  prayer  to 
the  true  God  and  united  with  her  attendants  in  singing 
a  Christian  hymn. 

Up  to  her  death  in  1841,  Kapiolani  proved  in  her 
daily  walk  and  conversation  that  no  taint  of  the  theatri- 
cal had  entered  into  her  startling  object-lesson.  She 
was  not  only  sincerely  Christian  in  her  private  life  but 
marvellous  in  her  work  as  a  reformer.  Her  influence 
became  all-powerful  in  combating  murder,  infanticide, 
theft,  Sabbath-breaking,  lust  and  drunkenness,  the 
tenacious  vices  of  her  people.  Schools  were  founded  by 
her  efforts;  the  beauty  of  an  ordered  Christian  home 
life  was  set  forth;  and  like  Lydia,  she  received  with 
kindliest  hospitality  all  strangers  who  came  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  her  Lord. 

The  death  in  Hawaii  of  another  wise  Christian  queen 
in  1832  was  followed  by  an  imhappy  reaction  from  the 
standards  which  the  missionaries  had  upheld  often 
against  terrible  odds.  The  prince  who  succeeded,  being 
given  over  to  evil  advisers,  a  period  of  disorder  and 


TITUS  COAN  OF  HILO  28S 

demoralisation  set  in.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, the  outlook  in  1834  was  very  dark,  but  in 
1835  there  came  upon  the  scene  a  new  missionary,  the 
Kev.  Titus  Coan,  whose  advent  marked  a  new  era  in 
Hawaii. 

Mr.  Coan  was  a  man  of  splendid  physique, — an  ath- 
lete and  full  of  vital  power,  spiritually  as  well  as 
physically.  Stationed  at  Ililo  on  Hawaii,  while  still 
engaged  in  learning  the  language,  he  began  the  series 
of  tours  along  the  coast  for  a  hundred  miles  which 
have  made  his  name  famous.  Each  one  of  these  excur- 
sions was  an  adventure  hazardous  in  the  extreme.  On 
one,  for  example,  Mr.  Coan  crossed  sixty-three  ravines, 
many  of  them  ranging  from  200  to  1,000  feet  in  depth. 
"It  was  often  a  matter  of  climbing  with  both  hands 
and  feet,  over  perilous  places,  sometimes  of  being  let 
down  by  ropes  from  tree  to  tree,  or  being  carried  on 
the  shoulders  of  a  native  while  a  company  of  men  with 
locked  hands  stretched  themselves  across  the  torrent 
to  prevent  the  danger  of  being  carried  over  the  falls." 
By  efforts  like  these,  village  after  village,  heretofore 
counted  practically  inaccessible  to  the  missionaries,  was 
visited  and  was  able  to  hear  the  good  news  of  the  King- 
dom. 

Hilo  was  a  hamlet  of  a  thousand  souls.  When  in 
1837,  the  divine  spark  kindled  into  fire  all  along  that 
coast  and  Mr,  Coan  found  that  15,000  people  in  the 
lonely  villages  he  had  visited  were  clamouring  to  hear 
more  of  the  gospel,  he  was  forced  to  new  measures.  He 
bade  those  to  whom  he  could  not  go  to  come  to  him,  and 
they  came  flocking  in  by  families  and  clans,  bringing 
with  them  their  aged  and  crippled  on  litters.  Hilo's 
population  of  one  thousand  was  raised  to  ten  and  for  two 
years  sustained  at  that  mark. 


284  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

The  situation  can  best  be  described  as  "a  two-year 
colossal  camp-meeting."  Thousands  came  together  to 
listen  to  the  Word,  morning,  noon  and  night.  A  mighty 
outpouring  of  God's  spirit  came  upon  the  community 
thus  strangely  gathered  together  from  many  into  one. 
Mr.  Coan  preached  simply,  quietly,  avoiding  all  which 
could  produce  excitable  conditions  in  the  crowds  who 
listened  to  him,  challenging  no  testimony  or  confession. 
!Nevertheless,  the  people,  conscious  of  evil  hearts  and 
vicious  habits,  cried  out  aloud  in  agony  of  repentance, — 
What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ? 

Searching  and  inexorable,  the  missionary's  teaching 
probed  to  the  very  core,  not  only  of  secret  idolatry,  but 
of  drunkenness,  adultery,  dishonesty,  fighting,  murders. 
Confession  of  secret  and  open  sin  was  followed  by  lives 
txansfomied.  The  High  Priest  and  Priestess  of  Pele, 
the  great  crater  of  Kilauea,  two  arch-criminals,  had  for 
years  held  the  ignorant  masses  in  subjection  by  threats 
of  violence;  unhesitatingly,  they  would  commit  murder 
for  sake  of  a  garment  or  a  little  food.  Even  such  serv- 
ants of  diabolism  as  these  came  to  listen.  They  were 
pricked  to  the  heart  and  confessed  their  treacheries  and 
their  foul  deeds  of  deceit  and  of  blood.  In  humble 
penitance  they  bowed  before  the  Christ  who  could  for- 
give even  sinners  such  as  they.  Until  death,  they  bore 
themselves  thereafter  as  true  Christians. 

The  work  thus  begun  grew  until  it  shook  the  whole 
land.  In  1838  and  1839  over  5,000  persons  were  re- 
ceived into  the  church.  On  one  Sabbath,  1,705  were 
baptised  and  in  the  Communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
following  2,400  participated.  When  in  1870,  Titus 
Coan  removed  from  Hilo,  he  had  personally  baptised 
nearly  12,000  persons,  and  not  one  of  these  was  admitted 
to  Christian  fellowship  without  careful  scrutiny  and 


TITUS  COAN  OF  HILO  285 

testing,  and  systematic  teaching  of  the  standards  of 
Christian  faith  and  living.  That  the  Church  of  Hawaii 
was  from  the  first  a  missionary  church  was  inevitable, 
for  it  was  in  truth  an  Apostolic  Church. 

In  1883,  the  American  Board,  counting  Hawaii 
Christianised,  withdrew  from  the  field,  leaving  a  church 
membership  of  about  15,000.  The  gifts  of  the  people 
during  that  year  to  church  and  missions  amounted  to 
$21,000.  Thirty  per  cent  of  their  ministers  were  mis- 
sionaries on  other  islands,  faithful  and  devoted  in  their 
work. 

The  Jubilee  of  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into 
the  Sandwich  Islands  (Hawaii)  was  celebrated  in  1870. 
The  Rev.  Nathaniel  G.  Clark,  Secretary  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board,  who  had  come  to  the  islands  to  share  in  the 
celebration,  thus  recorded  his  impressions : 

"The  grandest  scene  of  all  that  Jubilee  day,  was  the 
veteran  native  missionary,  Kauwealoha,  returned  after 
seventeen  years  in  the  Marquesas  Islands,  where,  after 
the  failure  of  English  missionaries  and  American  mis- 
sionaries, he  with  two  others,  had  driven  down  their 
stakes  and  stayed  on,  through  trial  and  hardships  till 
he  could  report  four  churches  of  Christ  established, 
and  that  500  men  and  women  had  learned  to  read  the 
Btory  of  the  cross.  And  there  on  that  15th  of  June 
standing  up  in  the  presence  of  his  king,  foreign  diplo- 
mats, old  missionaries,  and  that  great  assembly,  he  held 
aloft  the  Hawaiian  Bible,  saying,  'JSTot  with  powder  and 
ball,  and  swords  and  cannon,  but  with  this  loving  word 
of  God  and  with  His  Spirit,  do  we  go  forth  to  conquer 
the  islands  for  Christ/  " 


Part  Seven:  HIGH  LIGHTS  DOWN  THE 
DECADES— 1852-1922 


"There  is  this  difference  between  Christ  and  all  the  re- 
ligions of  India;  all  the  others  are  passing  away.  Christ 
alone  will  remain." 

A  Hindu  Ascetic. 

"Forty  years  of  continued,  nnstinted  service  for  the  people 
not  of  one's  own  race  and  nation!  Let  our  readers  think  of 
it.  Is  there  any  one  of  our  countrymen  who  is  thus  spending 
and  being  spent  for  our  immediate  neighbours,  the  Koreans  ? 
Forty  years  continued,  unostentatious  work,  not  to  get 
money,  or  praise,  but  with  an  aim  known  only  to  himself 
and  his  Maker!  .  .  .  The  joy,  the  contentedness,  the  sweet 
submission  in  his  work  seemed  to  imply  some  source  of 
strength  not  wholly  explicable  by  physics  and  physiology." 

Yorochu  Cho,  Tokio,  1898, 
on  the  death  of  Guide  F.  Yerbeck. 

"China  is  poor  to-day,  not  for  lack  of  resources,  but  be- 
cause our  one  burning  need  is  for  moral  character  and  moral 
leadership.  Christianity  alone  can  supply  this  need  for 
China." 

C.  T.  Wang, 
Vice-President  of  the  Chinese  Senate  and 
Delegate  to  the  Peace  Conference. 

"Say  to  the  Americans,  I  have  seen  the  missionaries  and 
their  work  at  Urumiah,  Salmas,  Tabriz  and  Teheran,  and  I 
know  them  and  their  work, — it  is  an  angel  work  1" 

Oeneral  Wagner, 
Drillmaster  of  the  Persian  Army. 

"The  design  is  not  to  send  Preebyterianism,  Independency, 
Episcopacy,  or  any  other  form  of  church  order  and  govern- 
ment, but  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  to  the 
heathen." 

Constitution  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  1796. 


I 

THE  SUNRISE  KINGDOM 

The  seventh  decade  in  the  life  of  the  Protestant  Mis- 
sionary Enterprise,  1852-1862,  is  one  of  striking 
significance  for  several  reasons.  But  the  event,  tran- 
scending all  others  in  importance  is  by  common  consent 
the  opening  of  Japan's  closed  doors.  In  1853  Commo- 
dore Perry  entered  the  Bay  of  Yeddo  (Tokio).  In 
1858  Townsend  Harris,  first  U.  S.  envoy  to  Japan, 
secured  a  treaty  which  opened  Japan  to  commerce. 

For  over  two  centuries  an  absolute  prohibition  had 
banished  the  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  who,  after 
the  middle  of  the  16th  century,  had  conducted  work 
in  Japan.  These  articles  of  prohibition  were  posted 
throughout  the  land.  They  read  thus :  "So  long  as  the 
sun  shall  continue  to  warm  the  earth  let  na  Christian 
he  so  hold  o^  to  conne  to  Japan,  and  let  all  know  that 
the  King  of  Spain  himself,  or  the  Christians  God,  or 
the  great  God  himself,  if  he  dare  violate  this  comimand, 
shall  pay  for  it  with  His  head." 

But  the  treaty  of  1858  between  Japan  and  the  United 
States  opened  Japan  to  Christian  missions  as  well  as 
to  commerce.  And  American  representatives  of  mis- 
sions were  not  slow  in  attack.  In  the  following  year 
American  missionaries  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  of  the  American  Reformed  Church,  and  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  began  work  at  Nagasaki  and 
Kanagawa,  near  Yokohama. 

289 


290  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Into  what  atmosphere,  religious,  moral,  social,  did 
this  company  of  apostles  enter  ? 

As  far  as  Japan  had  a  national  religion,  it  was  found 
to  be  an  admixture  of  Shinto  (a  species  of  ancestor  and 
emperor-worship),  with  a  corrupt  Buddhism.  ISTeither 
of  these  cults  possessed  more  than  the  vaguest  concep- 
tion of  one  Almighty  God.  As  a  religion  Shinto  is 
moribund,  but  it  survives  in  an  over-developed  intensity 
of  patriotism  and  in  Mikado-worship;  as  such  it  is 
encouraged,  as  a  powerful  political  force.  Neither  cult 
concerns  itself  with  immortality.  To  orthodox  Bud- 
dhists Japan  is  the  Land  of  Dreadful  Heresies.  At 
about  the  beginning  of  the  eighth  century  A.  D.,  Bud- 
dhism was  introduced  into  the  Sunrise  Kingdom  and 
by  absorbing  Shinto  into  itself  won  its  way.  It  pro- 
vided thus  gods  many  and  lords  many,  and,  with  each 
god  an  innumerable  train  of  temples,  images,  and 
liturgies. 

The  missionaries  had  to  adapt  themselves  to  a  situa- 
tion thus  defined :  "We  speak  of  God,  and  the  Japanese 
mind  is  filled  with  idols.  We  mention  sin,  and  he  thinks 
of  eating  flesh  or  the  killing  of  insects.  The  word 
'holiness'  reminds  him  of  crowds  of  pilgrims  flocking 
to  some  famous  shrine,  or  of  some  famous  anchorite 
sitting  lost  in  religious  abstraction  till  his  legs  rot  off. 
He  has  much  error  to  unlearn  before  he  can  take  in 
the  truth." 

A  Japanese  writer  of  the  18th  century,  Kaibara,  has 
made  the  following  comment,  "Shinto  shrines  and 
Buddhist  temples,  being  public  resorts  for  pleasure, 
should  be  sparingly  visited  before  the  age  of  forty." 

Scholars  admit  that  Buddhism  in  Japan  won  its  way 
by  a  long  process  of  self-degradation.  Whatever  of 
ethical  elevation  it  originally  possessed  was  lost  in  the 


THE  SUNRISE  KINGDOM  291 

process  of  adaptation  to  the  Japanese  genius.  iNever- 
theless,  Buddhism  acted  as  a  civilising  agency  upon  a 
people  advanced  little  beyond  the  most  primitive  stan- 
dards of  life  at  the  time  of  its  entrance.  The  Japan 
of  a  thousand  years  later,  as  it  appeared  to  the  Ameri- 
can missionaries,  with  ordered  and  spacious  houses, 
artistic  oratories,  with  its  beauty  and  grace  of  architec- 
ture and  decoration,  was  the  product  of  an  adapted 
Buddhism.  But  "the  moral  night  of  Japan"  was  in  no 
degree  enlightened.  Its  social  customs  in  the  middle  of 
the  19th  century  were  essentially  those  of  all  heathen 
nations,  deeply  tainted  with  cruelty,  lust  and  oppres- 
sion; its  idolatrous  rites  were  often  incredibly  licen-* 
tioiis ;  its  punishment  of  crime  atrocious  as,  sawing  the 
head  off  with  a  bamboo  saw,  burning  at  the  stake,  and 
the  like;  its  contempt  for  and  enslavement  of  women 
truly  Oriental.  In  general  the  unspeakable  vices  of 
heathenism  ruled  without  restraint  in  old  Japan,  and 
the  effect  of  them  was  the  more  astounding  because  of 
the  general  appearance  of  civilisation  of  the  Japanese 
cities. 

Perhaps  nowhere  on  the  face  of  the  globe  could  have 
been  found  a  social  fabric  more  corrupt  than  that  dis- 
closed to  the  Western  missionaries  who  entered  Japan  in 
1859.  A  writer  who  visited  the  country  in  1870  thus 
describes  what  he  saw:  "In  the  licensed  prostitutes' 
quarters  girls  were  sold  as  slaves,  and  when  past  16 
were  daily  and  nightly  ranged  to  public  view  in  rows 
for  selection  and  rent.  Phallic  shrines  were  numerous 
along  the  roads  in  many  provinces  and  the  emblems 
exposed  for  sale  by  hundreds  in  the  shops.  ...  In  the 
frenzy  of  the  idolatrous  processions  the  most  unspeak- 
ably indecent  performances  were  gone  through  with. 
Huch  of  the  popular  literature,  even  that  of  the  daily 


292  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

press,  was  simply  putrid.  The  complete  expasure  of 
the  body  by  the  men's  walking  to  and  from  the  bath 
naked,  and  the  women  and  girls  taking  their  tubbing 
in  the  street  in  absolute  nudity,  as  well  as  the  promis- 
cuous intermingling  in  the  public  bath-houses  of  the 
sexes,  in  all  conditions  of  disease;  the  disregard  for 
human  life ;  the  unquarantined  small-pox  patients  roam- 
ing freely  about;  the  not  uncommon  sight  of  dead  men 
lying  by  the  wayside;  the  general  practice  of  concu- 
binage; the  universal  habit  of  lying  .  .  .  ought  not 
perhaps  to  be  judged  by  our  standards." 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  those  interested  in  the  evange- 
lising of  Japan  have  found  the  ingrained  national  im- 
morality a  greater  obstacle  to  the  pure  Gospel  of  Christ 
than  idolatry  itself.  3ind  it  can  be  regarded,  perhape, 
as  not  easier  to  bring  into  the  Kingdom  primitive  savage 
peoples,  like  the  tribes  of  Africa  and  the  Pacific  Islands, 
than  a  people  so  sophisticated,  so  proud,  so  civilised 
and  so  highly  developed  in  national  consciousness  as 
pagan  Japan. 

]^evertheless,  in  due  time  the  Gospel  became  in  Japan 
a  mighty  force. 


n 

APOSTLES  TO  JAPAN 

Of  the  group  of  pioneer  missionaries  who  settled  in 
Japan  in  1859  we  may  name  Bishop  Williams,  James 
Hepburn,  Samuel  R.  Brown,  and  Guido  F.  Verbeck  as 
disdnctivelj  representative. 

Dr.  Brown  landed  in  Yokohama  on  November  3rd, 
1859,  accompanied  by  Guido  F.  Verbeck  and  Dr.  Sim- 
mons, all  three  missionaries  of  the  Reformed  Church. 
Dr.  Hepburn,  of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  had  reached 
Japan  a  fortnight  earlier.  From  a  Japanese  newspaper 
published  30  years  later  in  Tokio  we  quote  the  follow- 
ing characterisation:  ''Brown,  Hepburn,  Verbeck, — 
these  are  the  three  names  which  shall  ever  be  remem- 
bered in  connection  with  Japan's  new  civilisation.  They 
were  young  men  of  twenty-five  or  thereabout,  when  they 
together  rode  into  the  harbour  of  Nagasaki  in  1859.  The 
first  said  he  would  teach,  the  second  that  he  would  heal, 
and  the  third  that  he  would  preach.  All  three  by  their 
silent  labours  have  left  Japan  better  than  they  found 
it." 

These  missionaries  of  the  first  period  worked  under 
mighty  difficulties,  the  chief  being  the  rooted  suspicion 
of  them  among  the  ruling  and  privileged  classes  among 
whom,  "Expel  the  Foreigners!"  was  the  popular  slo- 
gan. Christianity  being  commonly  looked  upon  as  a 
species  of  sorcery  or  a  shrewd  masque  for  political  spy- 
ing instigated  by  the  white  nations  of  the  West,  their 


294  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

lives  were  constantly  menaced.  Bitter  hostility  met 
tliem  on  every  side.  Their  labours  were  confined  to  a 
few  open  ports ;  they  had  no  prestige,  no  credentials,  no 
native  helpers,  no  Japanese  literature  of  any  kind. 

The  mastery  of  the  Japanese  language  in  those  early 
days,  from  teachers  who  could  not  teach  except  as  they 
were  slowly  taught  to  impart,  has  been  described  as 
rather  like  the  muscular  labour  expended  upon  a  pump 
than  the  intellectual  effort  to-day  put  forth  to  the  same 
end. 

From  an  unexpected  source  assistance  came  in  over- 
coming the  last  named  condition.  Educated  Japanese 
could  read  Chinese.  Morrison  and  Milne's  Chinese 
Bible,  with  not  a  little  related  Christian  literature,  such 
as  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  and  Martin's  Evidences  of 
Christianity  J  was  circulated  and  read,  the  while  the  mis- 
sionaries laboured  over  their  work  of  Japanese  transla- 
tion. It  was  not  until  1887  that  the  entire  Bible,  trans- 
lated by  a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  was 
published,  and  formally  presented  by  Dr.  Hepburn  to 
the  Japanese  nation.  But  in  the  meantime  the  gospels 
by  the  scholarly  labours  of  Hepburn  and  Brown,  had 
long  since  been  made  familiar  to  the  people  at  large. 

i^rom  the  year  1859,  the  first  period,  was  in  the  main 
the  period  of  underground  work  for  the  men  at  Naga- 
saki and  Yokohama,  work  under  unfavourable  and  dis- 
couraging conditions,  as  has  been  the  case  almost  with- 
out exception  at  the  outset  in  introducing  Christianity 
in  pagan  countries.  But  they  worked  heroically  on, 
each  developing  his  own  especial  talent. 

The  second  period,  following  the  revolution  of  1868, 
bad  for  keynote  the  disestablishing  of  Buddhism  early 
in  1871.  In  1872  at  Yokohama,  the  first  Christian 
Church  was  formed.     In  1873  a  Christian  Sabbath  he- 


APOSTLES  TO  JAPAN  295 

came  among  the  possibilities  by  the  official  change  from 
the  old  lunar  calendar  to  the  solar  calendar,  significant 
token  of  the  birth  of  Japan  into  life  among  the  en- 
lightened nations  of  the  world.  While  Japan  was  thus 
brought  into  line  with  civilisation,  it  was  not  strictly 
with  Christian  civilisation,  since  she  dates  her  years 
not  from  Anno  Domini  but  from  Meiji,  reference  be- 
ing to  the  enthronement  of  the  Mikado.  In  1873  also 
the  anti-Christian  posters  were  removed  from  public 
places.  A  new  day  of  toleration  was  ushered  in.  In 
the  new  day  the  pioneer  missionaries  bore  a  noble  part. 

The  Kev.  C.  M.  Williams,  who  with  the  Rev.  John 
Liggins  had  been  first  upon  the  scene  (arriving  in  Ja- 
pan in  June  of  1859),  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Japan 
and  China  in  1866.  He  resided  in  Japan  from  1869  to 
1889.  On  the  foundations  laid  by  him  six  bishopries 
in  Japan  alone  were  later  established.  Dr.  Hepburn 
has  been  described  as  perhaps  the  most  versatile  figure 
who  has  yet  been  seen  in  the  Far  East.  Besides  prac- 
tising medicine,  he  served  as  chief  Biblical  translator, 
as  a  notable  educator  and  as  the  author  of  a  Japanese- 
English  Dictionary,  so  surpassingly  well  constructed 
that  on  it  all  similar  work  is  said  to  be  based.  Dr. 
Brown's  distinctive  achievement  also  was  as  an  edu- 
cator and  in  this  his  success  was  conspicuous.  !Ee  had 
a  genius  for  imparting  his  own  high  ideals  and  his  own 
high  scholarship  to  his  students.  He  left  a  noble  com- 
pany of  young  Japanese  Christians  who,  having  come 
under  the  power  of  his  personality,  exerted  in  their 
turn  wide  influence  among  their  own  people  as  re- 
formers, preachers  and  pastors,  as  Christian  laymen, 
editors  and  publicists. 

But  the  missionary  achievement  was  only  attained  by 
wrestling  with  perpetual  disappointment  by  reason  of 


296  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

the  fierce  reactions  of  the  Japanese  people.  As  Dr. 
Griffis  describes  it: 

"First  there  were  years  of  patient  waiting,  then  a 
rush  of  the  people  to  hear  the  gospel.  Preaching  places 
were  crowded.  Church  membership  doubled  every  three 
years,  and  self-support  was  almost  in  sight.  The  evan- 
gelisation of  Japan  in  a  single  generation,  was  talked, 
written,  and  printed.  Then  came  sudden  change  and 
reaction.  Patriotism  ran  rampant.  These  were  years 
of  fierce  political  excitement  about  internal  and  foreign 
affairs.  The  waves  of  nationalism  and  Chauvinism 
swept  over  the  land.  "Japan  for  the  Japanese"  was 
the  cry.  Native  fashions  and  ideas  again  came  into 
vogue.  Confucian  ethics  were  taught  in  the  govern- 
ment schools.  For  a  while  it  looked  as  if  Japan  were 
to  return  to  her  hermitage  of  insular  seclusion  and  the 
petty  nationalism  of  old  days." 

Out  of  all  the  confusion  of  those  years  one  figure 
emerges  as  bom  to  rule  the  storm, — that  of  Guide  Ver- 
beck,  who  may  well  be  called  one  of  the  Makers  of  Ja- 
pan, in  so  far  as  Christian  counsels  have  prevailed  in 
her  development.  Verbeck,  by  blood  and  breeding  a 
gentleman  and  scholar,  was  born  in  Holland.  Japan, 
during  the  two  centuries  of  peace  previous  to  1853  had 
been  strongly  influenced  by  Hollanders,  colonists 
settled  on  the  island  of  Deshima,  opposite  Nagasaki,  for 
purposes  of  commerce.  She  was  by  no  means  the  her- 
mit nation  she  has  been  frequently  called,  for  through 
her  Dutch  contingent  knowledge  of  inventions,  of  lan- 
guage, literature  and  general  progress  was  continually 
sifting  in.  Dutch  ships,  generations  before  the  arrival 
of  Commodore  Perry  in  the  waters  of  Yeddo,  were 
periodically  bringing  in  scientific  apparatus  and  the 
various  commodities  of  modem  European  civilisation. 


APOSTLES  TO  JAPAN  297 

Well  educated  natives  spoke  and  read  the  language  of 
Holland  and  reverenced  its  intellectual  and  material 
attainments.  Dutch  had  become  the  language  of  science 
and  medicine. 

Guido  Verbeck  had  thus  easy  access  to  the  educated 
Japanese,  whose  native  language  he  was  not  slow  in 
acquiring,  having  a  talent  for  languages.  As  a  boy  he 
could  speak,  besides  Dutch,  English,  French  and  Ger- 
man. Later  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  had  "four 
mother-tongues  and  could  be  silent  in  six  languages." 
He  was  a  cosmopolitan,  having  become  "an  Ameri- 
canised Dutchman"  in  the  years  from  1852  to  1859 
spent  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  many  sided  man, 
being  described  as  "engineer,  teacher,  linguist,  preacher, 
educator,  statesman,  missionary,  translator,  scholar, 
gentleman,  man  of  the  world,  child  of  his  own  age  and 
of  all  ages."  Above  all  he  was  with  all  his  soul  a 
Christian. 

Furthermore,  in  course  of  time,  finding  himself  "a 
man  without  a  country,"  having  lost  his  citizenship  in 
Holland  and  not  having  acquired  such  in  the  United 
States,  and  being  thus  left  without  national  status,  he 
was  granted  in  1891  privileges  from  the  Japanese  Min- 
ister of  Foreign  Affairs,  never  before  conferred  upon 
an  alien.  This  entitled  him  in  an  especial  manner  to 
the  imperial  protection.  All  in  all,  Verbeck  had  unique 
entrance  into  the  heart  of  the  Japanese  people.  He 
made  use  of  the  advantage  thus  acquired  with  all  his 
native  tact  and  fine  spirit  as  with  all  his  missionary 
consecration. 

Beginning  his  life  in  Japan  in  Nagasaki  in  1889  with 
the  usual  activities  of  the  missionary,  Verbeck's  peculiar 
facilities  for  intercourse  with  the  educated  classes  soon 
won  for  him  striking  opportunities  for  service.    Prince 


298  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

after  prince,  high  and  puissant,  visited  him  in  the 
interests  of  national  education  and  advancement.  His 
voice  was  soon  heard  in  the  counsels  of  the  nation  in 
which  the  members  who  studied  under  him,  men  such 
as  Soyeshima  and  Okuma,  were  early  called  to  con- 
spicuous positions.  "You  may  be  sure,"  he  wrote  in 
1868,  "that  my  friends  and  pupils  above-named  will 
work  hard  for  not  only  the  repeal  of  the  ancient  edicts 
against  Christianity,  but,  if  possible,  for  universal  tol- 
eration in  the  empire.  ...  It  was  interesting  to  see 
how  their  own  .  .  .  reasoning  led  these  men  to  the  con- 
clusion that  at  the  bottom  of  the  difference  in  civilisa- 
tion and  power  between  their  own  country  and  coun- 
tries like  ours  and  England,  lay  a  difference  of  national 
religion." 

After  the  revolution  of  1868,  in  which  the  Mikado 
was  restored  to  power  and  the  new  Japanese  nation 
began,  Verbeck  was  called  to  the  new  capital,  Tokio. 
The  younger  statesmen  in  the  new  regime,  the  men  of 
the  future,  feeling  their  need  of  guidance,  turned  to 
their  old  master  and  called  him  to  their  aid.  It  had 
really  been  a  movement  of  the  students  which  inaugu- 
rated the  new  era.  They  were  bent  on  making  educa- 
tion the  basis  of  all  progress.  The  Imperial  University 
was  the  outgrowth  of  the  removal  of  Verbeck  to  Tokio. 
Here  his  influence  for  Christianity  and  a  high  stand- 
ard of  morals  made  itself  profoundly  felt.  The  new 
thirst  for  knowledge  made  the  University  all-powerful 
in  its  influence,  and  Verbeck  made  the  University. 

Dr.  Griffis,  as  a  guest  in  the  Verbeck  household  in 
18Y1,  entered  intimately  into  the  life  of  its  distin- 
guished head.  He  thus  describes  Dr.  Verbeck's 
activities : 

"I  could  not  help  thinking  how  he  imitated  his  Mas- 


APOSTLES  TO  JAPAN  299 

ter  (as  a  servant  of  servants).  I  saw  a  prime  minister 
of  the  empire,  heads  of  departments,  and  officers  of 
various  ranks,  coming  to  find  out  from  Mr.  Verbeck 
matters  of  knowledge,  or  to  discuss  with  him  points  and 
courses  of  action.  To-day  it  might  be  a  plan  of  national 
education;  to-morrow  the  engagement  of  foreigners  to 
important  positions;  or  the  dispatch  of  an  envoy  to 
Europe;  the  choice  of  the  language  best  suitable  for 
medical  science ;  or  how  to  act  in  matters  of  neutrality 
between  France  and  Germany  whose  war  vessels  were 
in  Japanese  waters;  or  to  learn  the  truth  about  what 
some  foreign  diplomatist  had  asserted;  or  concerning 
the  persecutions  of  Christians ;  or  some  serious  measure 
of  home  policy." 

But  the  event  of  far-reaching  importance  in  1871  was 
the  dispatch  of  the  embassy  from  Japan  to  Christen- 
dom, sent  to  secure  measures  for  full  recognition  of 
Japan  as  a  sovereign  state.  And,  in  general,  to  intro- 
duce that  country  to  the  nations  of  the  world.  Of  this 
mission  Guide  Verbeck  was  both  originator  and  or- 
ganiser. Deep  in  his  heart  lay  the  mighty  hope  that 
it  would  bring  about  toleration  of  Christianity.  The 
plan  had  been  definitely  outlined  by  him  two  years  pre- 
viously and  an  outline  of  its  main  features  deposited 
with  Okmna. 

One  of  the  first  results  of  the  embassy  was  that  the 
eyes  of  the  imperial  ministers  sent  abroad  were  at  last 
opened  to  the  fact  that  in  all  true  civilisation  the  dy- 
namic was  Christianity.  Their  impressions  were  cabled 
back  to  their  government.  Like  magic  the  anti-Chris^ 
tian  edicts  disappeared  from  the  highways.  Verbeck 
wrote: 

"The  great  and  glorious  event  of  the  day  is  that, 
about  a  week  ago,  the  edicts  prohibiting  the  introduo 


SOO  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

tion  of  foreign  religions  have  been  removed  by  com- 
mand of  the  government  from  the  public  law  boards 
throughout  the  country!  It  is  equivalent  to  granting 
toleration !     The  Lord  bo  praised !" 

For  a  decade  Verbeck  occupied  the  position  of  min- 
ister without  portfolio,  or  unofficial  attache  of  the 
imperial  cabinet  at  Tokio.  In  the  discharge  of  those 
duties  he  impressed  his  stamp  on  the  whole  future  his- 
tory of  Japan.  At  the  close  of  his  term  of  service,  1877, 
the  emperor  conferred  on  him  the  decoration  of  the 
third-class  of  his  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun.  In  an  unex- 
ampled degree  this  faithful  servant  of  Christ  and  hu- 
manity had  won  the  trust,  affection  and  reverence  of 
the  Japanese  people  from  the  Emperor  down  to  the 
humblest  citizen. 

The  ban  now  being  lifted  from  Christianity,  Verbeck 
was  free  to  devote  all  his  marvellous  energies  as  mis- 
sionary, educator  and  translator  to  the  building  up  of 
an  organised  Christianity.  This  he  did  to  the  limit  of 
his  strength  in  the  remaining  twenty  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Japan.  As  an  educator  the  only  difficulty  with 
Verbeck  was  that  he  was  too  popular.  It  became  a 
legend  that  any  man  who  came  under  his  tuition  for  a 
length  of  time  was  sure  to  rise  to  high  position  as  min- 
ister, councillor-of-state  or  the  like. 

In  Tokio,  March  10th,  1898,  Dr.  Verbeck  died  sud- 
denly, worn  out  by  unceasing  labour.  It  has  been  said 
of  him  that  his  life  was  best  summed  up  in  the  words : 
"I  determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you  but 
Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified."  His  first  pleasure 
was  preaching,  for  which  he  had  talents  that  could  have 
made  him  notable  in  any  land.  Wherever  he  went,  the 
people  came  in  crowds  to  see  and  hear.  He  wanted  peo- 
ple to  think  of  Jesus  Christ,  not  about  himself.    "This 


APOSTLES  TO  JAPAN  301 

plain,  modest,  forceful,  learned,  devoted  missionary  will 
be  remembered  as  are  St.  Augustine  in  England,  St. 
Patrick  in  Ireland,  and  Ulfilas,  the  missionary  to  the 
GothB.    The  race  of  Christian  heroes  does  not  f  aiL" 


in 

JAPANESE  PKOGEESS  AND  PROBLEMS 

Following  the  organisation  of  the  first  Japanese 
Christian  church  at  Yokohama  in  1872,  churches  were 
formed  in  1874  at  Kobe  and  Osaka.  For  a  time  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  converts  was  rapid,  in  some 
years  as  many  as  5,000  new  members  being  received 
into  Christian  fellowship.  In  1900  the  number  en- 
rolled in  538  Protestant  churches  reached  42,451.  The 
number  of  communicants  is  now  116,069. 

In  Christian  education  Japanese  progress  was 
marked.  In  1871,  when  the  imperial  embassy,  promoted 
by  Verbeck,  started  on  its  way,  a  Japanese  student  of 
Andover  was  called  upon  to  act  as  official  English  inter- 
preter. This  student  was  Joseph  Hardy  ISTeesima,  who  a 
few  years  later  founded  the  first  Christian  College  of 
Japan,  the  Doshisha.  Beginning  1875  with  six  students, 
at  Neesima's  death  in  1890  their  number  was  570.  On 
the  benches  of  the  great  World  Missionary  Conference 
at  Edinburgh  in  1910  sat  four  Japanese  delegates:  Y. 
Chiba,  alumnus  of  the  Missionary  College  of  Aoyama 
Gakim,  and  now  President  of  a  Theological  Seminary ; 
Harada,  alumnus  of  the  Doshisha, — most  important 
Christian  College  in  Japan, — and  then  its  President; 
Honda  and  Ibuka,  both  pupils  of  the  pioneer  mission- 
ary, Dr.  S.  R.  Brown,  both  Presidents  of  important 
institutions.  "Four  scholars  of  Christian  Schools ;  four 
Presidents  of  colleges  that  are  helping  to  mould  the 
national  life  of  Japan  V 

302 


JAPANESE  PROGRESS  AND  PROBLEMS  303 

From  the  first  Christian  school,  founded  by  Dr. 
Brown  soon  after  his  arrival  at  Yokohama,  education 
has  been  a  conspicuous  line  of  missionary  endeavour  in 
Japan,  the  rather  that  its  appeal  is  conspicuously  strong 
to  the  spirit  of  the  Japanese.  Miss  Kidder,  the  first 
unmarried  woman  missionary  to  this  country,  began 
her  work  of  teaching  in  1869.  In  1874  Miss  Eddy 
opened  a  girl's  school  in  Osaka.  In  1875  Miss  Talcott 
and  Miss  Dudley  founded  the  Kobe  Girls'  School  which 
has  since  developed  into  Kobe  College.  A  score  of 
Girls'  High  Schools  have  been  established  since  then 
Tinder  missionary  auspices.  Under  government  auspices 
little  is  provided  beyond  elementary  education  for  girls. 
In  1918  Japan  appropriated  about  $22,000,000  for  the 
higher  education  of  her  young  men;  but  not  a  penny 
for  the  higher  education  of  young  women.  In  answer 
to  the  urgent  demand  a  "Woman's  (Christian)  Union 
College  has  been  established  at  Tokio.  In  1918  this 
college  was  opened  with  a  class  of  84,  one  girl  having 
travelled  all  the  way  from  Dairen  through  Manchuria, 
crossing  the  length  of  Chosen  and  the  breadth  of  Japan 
in  order  to  enter. 

But  danger  signals  are  out  for  Japan.  The  Chris- 
tian Church  of  Christian  lands  may  well  look  to  its 
responsibilities,  remembering  the  word  of  Prince  Ito, 
called  "the  Master  of  N'ew  Japan:"  "Japan's  progress 
and  development  are  largely  due  to  the  influence  of 
missionaries  exerted  in  the  right  direction  when  Japan 
was  first  studying  the  outer  world." 

The  importance  of  the  higher  education  and  Christian 
education  at  this  crisis  in  Japan  cannot  be  over-empha- 
sised. Christian  schools  for  girls  have  made  possible 
the  establishment  of  Christian  homes.  And  the  influ- 
ence of  Christian  homes  in  Japan  must  be  stimulated  by 


804  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

all  possible  means,  if  the  rising  tide  of  reaction  to  in- 
fidelity is  to  be  met  and  overcome. 

Japan  counts  herself  no  longer  in  need  of  any  aid 
from  abroad  in  her  march  of  progress.  She  has 
snatched  eagerly  at  the  obvious  advantages  of  higher 
civilisation,  but,  as  a  nation,  she  is  now  unmoved  by 
the  appeal  of  the  religion  of  the  Man  of  ]!^azareth. 
Lowliness  and  meekness  of  spirit  are  not  congenial  to 
the  national  consciousness.  Japan  has  become  sensi- 
tive to  being  regarded  as  in  any  sense  a  mission  field. 
She  has  given  notice  that  medical  missions  are  no  longer 
required  by  her  people.  Christian  schools  are  by  way 
of  becoming  superfluous  from  her  view-point  since  her 
system  of  education  is  one  of  the  most  thorough  now 
existing.  Ninety-eight  per  cent  of  Japanese  children 
are  in  national  schools.  Meanwhile  industrial  condi- 
tions are  in  the  highest  degree  destructive  to  the  health 
and  morals  of  the  working  class,  and  the  educated  youth 
of  Japan  drift  toward  irreligion,  immorality,  material- 
ism. 

Says  the  Rev.  Paul  Kanomori,  Japan's  great  Chris- 
tian evangelist: — "It  is  a  fatal  mistake  to  think  that 
Japan  does  not  need  more  missionaries.  For  the  past 
fifty  years  the  missionary's  work  has  been  chiefly  plough- 
ing and  seed-sowing.  Now  the  harvest  time  is  at  hand. 
.  .  .  The  reaping  must  be  done  quickly.  In  answer  to 
the  question :  'What  is  the  chief  obstacle  to  Christianity 
in  Japan  to-day?'  I  can  only  say  that  it  is  the  same 
the  world  over — Sin.  This  is  the  real  stumbling  block. 
The  Holy  Spirit  must  first  convict  the  Japanese  of  sin, 
then  they  can  be  influenced  for  Christ.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  spend  much  effort  on  secondary  things — Pkeach 
THE  Gospel." 


IV 

"THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  AFFLICTED" 

Paganism  has  little  mercy  upon  the  unfortunate 
Hindu  and  Buddhist  alike  regard  the  sufferer  from 
leprosy  as  undergoing  just  punishment  for  unpardon- 
able sin,  sin  committed  in  a  previous  incarnation.  "Is- 
lam has  no  place  for  the  leper."  Blind  girls  in  China 
and  India,  as  well  as  orphans  and  child-widows,  are 
sold  and  trained  to  lives  of  shame.  No  hospital  for  the 
shelter  and  treatment  of  the  insane  had  been  known  in 
China  until  1898,  when  Dr.  J.  G.  Kerr,  successor  to 
Dr.  Parker  in  Canton,  opened  such  an  institution,  the 
wonder  of  all  classes  of  the  people.  This  hospital  now 
accommodates  500  persons.  Personal  Christian  work 
is  a  strong  factor  in  the  service.  Many  go  out  cured 
in  soul  as  well  as  in  mind. 

During  the  period  of  missionary  expansion,  homes 
and  schools  for  the  blind  and  deaf  have  been  established 
in  connection  with  various  orphanages  and  kindred  in- 
stitutions. The  followers  of  Jesus  Christ,  having  this 
mind  which  also  was  in  Him,  are  moved  with  practical 
compassion  for  the  helpless  and  needy.  What  they  dare 
to  dream  of  they  dare  to  do.  Modem  Christian  relief 
work  for  and  among  lepers  is  precisely  a  hundred  years 
old,  although  its  keynote  was  struck  in  1812  by  William 
Carey  when  he  started  the  first  leper  hospital  in  Cal- 
cutta. It  was  not  until  1822  that  permanent  work  for 
this  class  of  unfortunates  was  organised  by  Moravian 

305 


306  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

missionaries,  the  noble  heralds  of  the  whole  Protestant 
enterprise. 

Leprosy  is  common  in  every  town  east  of  the  Suez 
Canal.  Upon  its  horrors  there  is  no  need  to  dwell.  In 
China  the  number  of  victims  is  estimated  as  not  less 
than  450,000.  Little  more  than  a  generation  ago  a 
young  missionary  in  India  (where  the  number  is  still 
larger  than  in  China),  overwhelmed  by  the  number  of 
lepers  whom  he  saw,  and  the  utter  failure  on  the  part  of 
either  the  Government  or  the  native  peoples  to  deal 
adequately  with  this  terrible  disease, — returned  to  Eng- 
land to  plead  the  cause  of  the  leper.  His  appeal  was 
heeded.  Out  of  it  came  "The  Mission  to  Lepers  in. 
India  and  the  East,"  whose  beneficent  work  now  ex- 
tends as  far  as  this  curse  is  found.  It  has  in  India 
alone,  no  less  than  fifty-nine  institutions  for  lepers. 
This  Society,  the  Government  and  the  missionary  are 
working  together  in  a  great  effort  to  "cleanse  the  lepers." 
The  missionary  has  led  the  way. 

The  founder  of  this  Society,  Wellesley  C.  Bailey,  was 
an  American  Presbyterian  missionary  in  the  Punjab. 
The  date  of  its  organisation  was  1874.  Asylums  to  the 
number  of  over  one  hundred  are  now  to  be  found 
throughout  India,  the  Near  and  Far  East.  Associated 
with  these  are  homes  for  the  untainted  children  of 
lepers,  by-product  of  the  undertaking  which  only  the 
spirit  of  Christ  could  have  inspired. 

A  famous  leper  colony  at  Chieng  Mai  in  Siam  was 
opened  by  Dr.  McKean  in  1913  with  one  hundred  pa- 
tients. The  leper  church  connected  with  this  home  now 
numbers  two  hundred,  all  of  whom  are  joyfully  looking 
forward  to  the  possession  of  a  church  home.  When  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  McKean  began  their  work  at  Chieng  Mai, 
they  began  it  with  the  specific  prayer,  in  which  they 


"THE  CAUSE  OF  THE  AFFLICTED"        307 

asked  all  their  friends  to  join,  tliat  every  leper  who 
came  to  the  asylum  should  become  a  follower  of  Christ. 
This  prayer  has  been  abundantly  answered,  as  every 
inmate,  with  possibly  one  exception,  has  become  a 
Christian. 

In  1914  there  was  a  voluntary  contribution  by  the 
Chieng  Mai  lepers  to  the  American  Bible  Society.  This 
gift  was  forwarded  to  the  Bible  Society  with  a  letter 
in  the  following  language:  "We,  the  elders  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Leper  Church  at  Chieng  Mai,  with  one  heart 
and  mind,  have  great  gladness  in  sending  our  small 
offering  to  the  American  Bible  Society,  and  we  beg  that 
our  gift  of  twenty-five  rupees  ($8.09)  may  be  gra- 
ciously received  by  you  and  used  for  the  distribution 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  To  have  a  share  in  this  good 
work  will  give  us  very  great  happiness. 

"(Signed)  Elders— Peang,  Toon,  Gnok." 
Dr.  Robert  E.  Speer  says :  "The  morning  that  we  were 
at  the  Chieng  Mai,  Siam,  Leper  Asylum,  twenty  lepers 
were  baptised  and  welcomed  to  the  Lord's  table.  I  think 
the  highest  honour  I  have  ever  had  in  my  life  was  to  be 
allowed  to  hold  the  baptismal  bowl  out  of  which  these 
lepers  were  baptised.  I  am  taking  it  home  as  a  price- 
less memorial." 

A  typical  institution,  planned  and  equipped  along 
thoroughly  modem  lines  is  that  at  Allahabad,  India.  It 
is  thus  described : 

"There  is  a  large  compound,  inside  which  live  250 
men,  women  and  children  of  the  leper  caste.  Substan- 
tial buildings  of  brick,  with  concrete  floors,  have  re- 
placed the  thatched  huts  of  former  years.  Everything 
that  modem  science  and  Christian  sympathy,  aided  by 
Grovemment  assistance  could  do,  has  been  done  for  these 


808  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

poor  lepers.  The  missionary  in  charge,  whose  hobby 
is  gardening,  has  used  his  knowledge  to  good  effect  in 
teaching  the  lepers  how  to  cultivate  the  fruits  of  the 
earth.  Each  one  is  given  a  plot  of  ground  to  cultivate, 
prizes  are  awarded,  and  the  health  of  all  greatly  im- 
proved because  of  the  labour  of  the  husbandman.  A 
visitor  who  wished  to  photograph  a  group  of  inmates 
was  startled  by  an  exclamation  of  an  old  man.  The 
pathos  of  it  all  came  home  to  him  when  the  interpreter 
said,  "He  says  he  would  like  to  stand  and  oblige  the 
young  sahib,  but  his  feet  are  gone."  Science  and  sym- 
pathy here  are  doing  their  best  to  cleanse  the  leper. 
A  church,  a  school,  a  hospital,  separate  dormitories  for 
women  and  children,  and  for  untainted  children  of 
lepers,  attest  the  thorough  character  of  the  work  at 
Allahabad." 


y 

OPEOTNG  DOOES  AISTD  MASS  MOVEMENTS 

The  Decade  which  saw  the  opening  of  Japan  to  the 
world  saw  also,  in  1858,  the  Toleration  Treaty  cover- 
ing all  parts  of  China.  This  treaty  led  to  the  penetra- 
tion by  missionaries  into  Central  China,  hitherto  closed 
to  foreigners.  Notable  among  these  was  Griffith  John, 
who  went  out  to  Hankow  in  1861,  and  there  did  effec- 
tual work  for  over  fifty  years. 

China  Inland  Mission 

Hudson  Taylor,  who  has  been  characterised  as  "most 
romantic  of  dreamers  and  most  practical  of  saints,"  first 
went  to  China  in  1853.  He  worked  as  a  medical  mis- 
sionary for  seven  years  in  Shanghai  and  ITingpo.  He 
studied  the  map  of  China  during  those  years  and  thus 
commented:  "Think  of  the  186  millions  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  Gospel  in  the  seven  provinces  where  mis- 
sionaries have  commenced  to  labour!  Think  of  the 
198  millions  in  those  provinces  where  NO  Protestant 
missionary  is  labouring!" 

Broken  in  health,  Hudson  Taylor  returned  to  Eng- 
land, but  he  left  his  heart  in  China,  and  for  China  he 
still  worked,  raising  money  for  the  service  of  missions, 
translating  that  Gospel  into  native  dialects,  and,  in 
season  and  out  of  season,  praying  for  China's  redemp- 
tion.    In  answer  to  the  prayers  of  his  strong  faith  he 

309 


810  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

was  enabled  to  return  to  China  in  1865  accompanied  by 
a  large  company  of  Christian  men  and  women  workers, 
bent  on  founding  a  China  Inland  Mission.  The  prin- 
ciples on  which  this  mission  rested  might  be  summed 
up  in  William  Carey's  noble  epitome:  "Attempt  great 
things  for  God;  Expect  great  things  from  God." 
Furthermore,  it  is  strictly  undenominational,  it  makes 
no  direct  appeal  for  funds  and  its  missionaries  may  not 
reckon  upon  a  stated  salary. 

In  spite  of  terrible  persecution  during  the  Boxer 
Kebellion,  in  which  58  adult  missionary  workers  were 
murdered,  and  which  broke  up  many  stations,  the  work 
still  goes  on.  In  16  provinces  over  a  thousand  of  its 
missionaries  are  at  work,  in  the  spirit  of  the  mission's 
founder,  now  dead.  Surely  a  wondrous  result  of  one 
man's  faith ! 

To-day  the  China  Inland  Mission  is  doing  a  more 
extensive  work  in  China  than  any  other  Society.  It  has 
235  stations  with  1,267  outstations  and  1,496  chapels. 
On  its  staff  are  1,059  European  missionaries  and  3,338 
trained  Chinese  workers.  The  mission  has  over  40,000 
communicants. 

Egypt 

Moslem  lands  are  proverbially  difficult  fields  in  which 
to  plant  the  Gospel.  After  several  unsuccessful  attempts 
to  found  a  pennanent  mission  in  Egypt  had  been  made 
by  European  societies,  the  United  Presbyterians  of 
America  in  1861  met  with  distinct  and  gratifying  suc- 
cess. Their  schools,  from  this  date  on,  grew  in  num- 
bers and  influence  and  their  mission  property  was 
equipped  in  a  dignified  and  attractive  manner.  The 
first  native  church  was  organised  in  Cairo  in  1863. 
This  mission  has  achieved  remarkable  success,  in  25 


OPENING  DOORS  AND  MASS  MOVEMENTS     311 

years  about  100  new  centres  being  added,  these  stations 
following  the  Nile  a  distance  of  400  miles.  The  mis- 
sion has  190  schools  with  17,000  pupils;  also  two  col- 
leges, one  at  Assiiit,  one  at  Cairo. 

There  is  often  a  close  connection  between  the  open- 
ing of  doors  into  hitherto  un-christianised  regions,  and 
great  revivals  among  the  populations.  Often,  however, 
these  mass  movements  come  after  long  and  apparently 
unproductive  labours. 

The  Great  Telugu  Revival 

The  mission  to  the  Telugu  people  of  Southern  India 
began  with  the  year  1835,  with  Madras  for  centre.  So 
meagre  were  the  results  of  the  enterprise  that  again 
and  yet  again  abandonment  was  seriously  considered  by 
the  Baptist  Missionary  Union  to  which  the  mission 
owed  its  origin.  It  was  not  until  1862  that  one  Telugu 
Christian  showed  himself  fitted  for  ordination  as  a 
Christian  minister,  and  for  a  generation  converts  re- 
mained few  in  number. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1867,  the  whole  region  in 
and  around  Ongole  was  mysteriously  moved  by  a 
mighty  influence.  The  Spirit  of  God  seemed  to  find  its 
way  into  the  hearts  of  the  native  people.  The  Divine 
influence  overshadowed  towns,  villages  and  even  the 
deserts.  The  church  in  Ongole  in  that  year  numbered 
eight  members ;  in  1874  it  numbered  3,300,  perhaps  the 
largest  Baptist  church  in  the  world.  It  was  in  truth 
a  new  Pentecost,  and  a  continuous  one,  year  after  year. 

The  Rev.  John  E.  Clough  and  the  Eev.  Lyman  Jewett 
were  at  this  time  in  charge  of  the  mission.  Their  re- 
ports were  thus  expressed  in  1873 :  "In  many  instances 
the  seed  is  scarcely  sown  before  the  reaper  is  needed  to 


S12  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

gather  in  the  harvest.  Obstacles  in  the  way  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  truth  have  nearly  disappeared.  All  the 
gateways  seem  to  be  thrown  open." 

But  the  work  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  a  severe 
famine.  Missionary  work  in  its  regular  form  was  sus- 
pended, while  those  engaged  in  it  devoted  themselves 
altogether  to  the  saving  of  life.  Lest  any  should  make 
the  Christian  profession  from  mercenary  motives  the 
churches  received  no  new  members  for  a  period  of 
months.  But  the  dark  days  of  famine  and  stress  passed ; 
in  1878  the  revival  spirit  burned  with  fresh  ardour.  In 
that  year  on  August  5th,  Dr.  Clough  baptised  3,262 
persons  in  one  day.  The  Telugu  Church  since  then 
has  gone  from  strength  to  strength  and  now  numbers 
74,257. 

In  Far  Formosa 

The  large  island  of  Formosa,  lying  off  the  coast  of 
China  is  inhabited  by  two  races,  the  Mongolian  and 
the  Malay,  the  latter  in  great  part  savages.  On  the 
northern  part  of  this  island — ^virgin  soil  for  the  Gospel 
— from  the  year  1872,  the  Rev.  George  Leslie  Mackay, 
ordained  and  designated  by  the  Presbytery  of  Toronto, 
lived  and  laboured  for  three  and  twenty  years  with  mar- 
vellous results.  But  he  must  needs  first  endure  fiery 
trial  of  persecution. 

The  first  ray  of  light  came  after  conference  with  a 
young  native  who  came  to  his  house  bringing  a  group 
of  students  with  him.  "I  brought  all  these  graduates 
and  teachers,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Mackay,  "expecting  to 
silence  you  or  to  be  silenced.  But  T  have  tliought  a 
great  deal  about  these  things  and  I  am  now  determined 
to  be  a  Christian  even  though  I  suffer  death  for  it. 
The  Book  you  have  is  the  true  doctrine,  and  I  should 


OPENING  DOORS  AND  MASS  MOVEMENTS     313 

like  to  study  it  with  you."  Mr.  Mackay  speaks  of  the 
"strange  thrill  of  joy  and  hope"  which  he  knew  in  that 
hour.  The  young  man,  called  A  Iloa,  became  a  re- 
markable Christian  student  and  preacher;  25  years  later 
he  was  in  charge  of  the  60  churches  in  North  Formosa 
planted  by  Mackay. 

Prayer,  Preaching  and  Teaching  were  Mackay's 
foundation  stones.  He  declared  that  he  would  not 
spend  five  minutes  teaching  the  heathen  anything  be- 
fore presenting  Christ  to  them.  His  success  with  the 
literati  of  the  community  was  most  marked.  When  this 
was  established  the  waves  of  persecution  were  subdued 
and  even  the  haughty  Mandarins  whose  favourite  motto 
was  "No  place  here  for  foreign  devils,"  became  eager 
to  know  the  wise  and  fearless  teacher.  Two  thousand 
native  men  and  women  made  public  profession  of  al- 
legiance to  Christ. 

After  23  years  experience  on  this  field  Mackay  wrote : 

"I  look  back  to  the  first  days,  and  recall  the  early 
persecutions  and  perils.  I  remember  the  proclamations 
issued  and  posted  up  on  trees  and  temples,  charging 
me  with  unimaginable  crimes,  and  forbidding  the  peo-* 
pie  to  hold  converse  with  me.  In  1879  I  was  burned 
in  effigy  at  an  idolatrous  feast.  Again  and  again  I 
have  been  threatened,  insulted  and  mobbed.  .  .  .  And 
now  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  real  factor  and  a 
positive  power  in  the  life  of  North  Formosa.  .  .  .  And 
I  am  prepared  to  affirm  that  for  integrity  and  endur- 
ance, for  unswerving  loyalty  to  Christ,  and  untiring 
fidelity  in  His  service,  there  are  to-day  in  the  mission 
churches  there  hundreds  who  would  do  credit  to  any 
commimity  or  to  any  congregation  in  Christendom.  I 
have  seen  them  under  fire,  and  know  what  they  can 


S14  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

face.  I  have  looked  when  the  fight  was  over  and  know 
that  it  was  good.  I  have  watched  them  as  they  lay  down 
to  die,  and  calmly,  triumphantly,  as  any  soldier,  saint 
or  martyr-hero,  they  'burned  upward,  each  to  his  point 
of  bliss.'  " 

The  Cross  in  Korea 

On  May  22,  1883,  Korea  was  declared  open  to  for- 
eigners. The  single  word  Korea,  cabled  to  Shanghai, 
early  in  1884,  declared  that  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Poreign  Missions  was  ready  to  begin  the  work  of  Christ 
with  the  Hermit  ISTation  of  the  East.  At  Shanghai 
were  Dr.  H.  N.  Allen,  a  young  missionary  physician, 
and  his  wife,  waiting  for  the  word  of  command  to  start 
upon  the  great  adventure  in  Korea. 

The  new-comers  met  a  hostile  reception  in  Seoul, 
owing  to  the  riots  which  took  place  on  the  opening  of 
the  first  Korean  postoffice, — a  serious  innovation  in 
that  conservative  realm.  With  the  exception  of  Dr. 
Allen  and  his  wife  every  foreigner  fled  the  city  but  the 
missionary  stood  his  ground,  as  missionaries  have  a 
way  of  doing.  Wise  as  well  as  valiant.  Dr.  Allen  made 
his  way  to  the  palace  and  offered  his  professional  serv- 
ice to  the  King's  nephew  who  had  been  severely 
wounded.  The  prince  recovered,  whereupon  Dr.  Allen 
found  himself  suddenly  the  most  popular  man  in  Seoul, 
with  the  King  himself  his  friend.  In  the  February 
following  a  government  hospital  was  open  under  royal 
patronage,  the  missionary  in  full  charge.  Ten  thou- 
sand patients  were  treated  in  the  first  year. 

But  the  East  moves  slowly  and  the  Farther  East  the 
slower.  For  years  no  marked  progress  was  made  among 
the  people  at  large,  but  an  epidemic  of  cholera  in  Seoul 
was  instrumental  in  revealing  to  the  common  people 


OPENING  DOORS  AND  MASS  MOVEMENTS     S15 

what  the  Cross  of  Christ  signified.  For,  while  every 
one  who  could  left  the  city,  the  missionaries,  obviously 
perfectly  free  to  do  so,  remained  at  their  posts.  They 
toiled  indefatigably  for  the  sick  and  dying,  performing 
offices  from  which  the  bravest  Koreans  shrank,  expos- 
ing themselves,  not  recklessly,  but  without  fear.  Their 
skilful  treatment  saved  hundreds  of  those  smitten  with 
the  epidemic. 

People  watched  the  missionaries  working  night  and 
day  over  the  sick.     They  said  to  each  other, 

"How  these  foreigners  love  us!  Would  we  do  as 
much  for  one  of  our  kin  as  they  do  for  strangers  ?" 

They  observed  one  of  the  foreign  doctors  hurrying 
along  the  road  in  the  dawn  of  a  summer  morning,  and 
one  said, 

"There  goes  the  Jesus  man.  He  works  all  night  and 
all  day  with  the  sick  without  resting." 

"Why  does  he  do  it  ?"  was  asked. 

"Because  he  loves  us,"  was  the  reply. 

That  scourge  of  cholera  melted  the  ice  which  had 
held  the  Korean  heart  bound.  A  new  life  took  hold  on 
the  mission.  In  1905  there  were  30,000  native  Chris- 
tians. Five  years  more  and  the  number  had  increased 
to  100,000.  "It  seemed  as  if  the  whole  nation  were 
on  the  eve  of  bolting  into  the  Kingdom."  In  one  sta- 
tion the  regular  attendance  of  native  Christians  at  the 
weekly  prayer  meeting  is  1,200.  In  one  year  19  new 
church  edifices  were  built  in  Pyeng  Yang  and  its  neigh- 
bourhood. 

A  visit  to  Korea  about  that  time  was  described  as  "a 
tonic  to  faith."  Of  the  effect  of  Christianity  upon  the 
women  a  prominent  Korean  writes,  "the  change  in  the 
women  is  beyond  imagination.  I  cannot  believe  my 
eyes.    It  seems  as  if  Heaven  had  touched  earth." 


316  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

Since  tlien  two  events  have  checked  the  marvellous 
progress  of  the  church  of  Christ.  First,  in  1910  Korea 
was  handed  over  to  Japan  by  the  traitorous  action  of 
half  a  dozen  oflScials.  The  native  Government  was  fa- 
vourable to  Christianity.  The  Japanese  Government  c^n 
never  view  the  missionary  work  with  favour.  Japan  is 
not  Christian;  her  fundamental  philosophy,  though  un- 
spoken, is  anti-Christian.  The  second  event  is  the 
World  War,  and  the  universal  unrest  together  with  the 
new  emphasis  laid  on  freedom  and  self-determination. 
This  eifect  is  felt  in  Korea  in  a  complete  absorption  in 
the  passion  for  national  independence.  The  Korean 
is  psychologically  a  man  of  one  idea.  This  idea  now 
occupies  his  mind  to  the  exclusion  of  all  else. 

In  the  Pacific  Islands 

In  1898  the  Philippine  Islands  (about  2,500  in  nimi- 
ber)  were  annexed  to  the  United  States.  For  the  first 
time  in  history  this  country  was  opened  to  Protestant 
missionaries.  On  July  13th  of  that  year  a  conference 
of  missionary  societies  was  held  in  New  York  City,  the 
first  of  its  kind,  to  ensure  denominational  comity  in 
operations  within  the  new  territory.  The  Evangelical 
Union  of  the  Philippines  was  organised,  distinct  fields 
of  labour  being  assigned  to  each  denomination. 

Within  three  months  from  that  May  Simday  in  1898 
when  Commodore  Dewey  broke  the  Spanish  fleet  and 
entered  Manila  Bay  our  missionaries  were  on  the  spot. 
In  1900  Dr.  J.  A.  Hall  began  medical  and  evangelistic 
work  at  Uoilo  on  Panay.  The  hospital  founded  by  Dr. 
Hall  is  now  the  Union  Missionary  Hospital.  Asso- 
ciated with  it  is  a  nurses'  training  school,  the  first  of 
its  order  on  the  Islands.    ISTotable  work  is  conducted  at 


OPENING  DOORS  AND  MASS  MOVEMENTS     SIT 

Manila,  the  Mary  J.  Johnston  Memorial  Hospital  be- 
ing a  life  saving  station  for  Filipino  babies,  33  per  cent 
of  whom  die  before  they  are  a  year  old.  All  features 
of  organised  missionary  work  are  now  in  full  swing 
and  are  attended  with  conspicuous  success. 
Two  striking  illustrations  are  given  herewith, 
John  H.  Converse  of  Philadelphia  and  Eev.  F.  F. 
Ellinwood,  D.D.,  saw  an  opportunity  in  the  Philippines 
for  training  a  native  ministry.  In  1904  Mr.  Converse 
gave  the  money  for  the  land,  and  Dr.  Ellinwood  in- 
vested a  memorial  gift  to  start  a  Bible  School.  N^ow, 
seventeen  years  later,  3,000  young  men  and  women  have 
been  influenced  by  the  Gospel,  and  have  gone  out  from 
Ellinwood  School  as  preachers,  Bible  women,  teachers, 
farmers,  home-makers,  lawyers,  mechanics  and  busi- 
ness men. 

Horace  B.  Stillman,  in  order  to  found  an  industrial 
school  for  the  young  men  and  boys  of  the  Philippines, 
in  1901  gave  an  initial  gift  of  $20,000  with  which  to 
open  a  school  at  Dumaguete.  The  Filipino  aversion  to 
manual  labour  has  been  overcome,  and  thirty-four  prov- 
inces in  the  Islands  were  represented  by  the  733  stu- 
dents enrolled  last  year.  In  the  student  church  are 
265  members.  On  the  Island  of  Mindanao  a  few  years 
ago  a  missionary  found  that  while  no  foreigner  had 
been  at  work  there,  the  whole  coast  had  been  evange- 
Used  by  the  boys  from  Stillman.  Eeturning  to  their 
homes  in  the  summer  they  had  told  their  friends  of  the 
new  life  which  had  been  given  them. 

Among  India's  TJntoucTmbles 

With  the  opening  of  the  twentieth  century  there  be- 
gan a  series  of  mass  movements  among  the  lower  casto 


BIB  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

and  out-caste  people  of  India.  From  5,000  native 
Christians  in  the  Punjab,  reported  by  the  Presbyterian 
Mission  in  1901,  the  number  had  grown  to  95,000  by 
1916.  The  Methodists  doubled  their  numbers  in  the 
United  Provinces  between  1900  and  1910. 

Unquestionably  the  Mass  Movements  towards  Chris- 
tianity among  the  depressed  classes  at  the  present  time 
are  the  dominating  fact  in  the  missionary  situation  in 
India. 

From  Bishop  Wame's  India's  Mass  Movement  the 
following  outline  of  this  great  work  is  condensed : 

This  movement  began  definitely  about  1890  although 
for  twenty  years  previous  to  that  something  like  it  had 
been  known.  It  is  among  the  Chamars  or  leather- 
workers'  caste,  and  the  sweepers,  both  counted  among 
the  "untouchables"  by  the  caste  people.  There  are  in 
this  class  some  fifty  million  souls.  A  little  above  them 
in  the  social  scale  is  the  great  middle  class,  numbering 
142,000,000,  the  "voiceless  millions"  in  whose  hands  is 
the  future  of  the  Indian  Empire.  They  are  now  being 
mightily  influenced  and  among  them,  in  some  places, 
movements  have  already  begun  and  among  them  it 
would  seem  that  the  next  great  mass  movement  will 
occur.  Above  these  are  the  higher  castes,  among  whom 
educational,  zenana  and  other  missionaries  and  agencies 
are  preparing  the  way  of  the  Lord.  When  the  time 
comes  (and  come  it  will)  that  the  power  now  working 
mightily  at  both  top  and  bottom  of  India's  social  struc- 
ture shall  permeate  the  whole,  if  we  all  work  together, 
not  in  the  energy  of  the  flesh  but  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  we  may  confidently  expect  a  movement  not  on  a 
human  but  on  a  divine  scale.  The  possibilities  involved 
are  overwhelming. 

This  movement  is  not  confined  to  any  one  place  but 


OPENING  DOORS  AND  MASS  MOVEMENTS     S19 

has  found  its  greatest  development  in  one  or  two  of  the 
conferences.  Northwest  India  has  large  areas  where  it 
is  in  progress,  also  South  India.  Among  other  places, 
it  has  appeared  in  the  eastern,  part  of  the  North  India 
Conference  and  in  Gujarat,  where  it  was  one  of  the 
early  phases  of  the  work.  It  was  started  by  a  low  caste 
man  who,  converted  in  Bombay,  carried  the  good  news 
to  his  brothers  at  home. 

Bishop  Warne  thus  describes  the  marvellous  quicken- 
ing of  this  revival :  "Then  began  our  great  revival  in 
the  year  1905.  Our  people  came  to  us  asking  what 
they  could  do  to  save  the  lost  about  them.  We  said  to 
them  'Take  your  Bibles  and  begin  studying  from  the 
fourteenth  chapter  of  St.  John's  Gospel  through  to  the 
end.  Then  study  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  as  illustrat- 
ing what  happened.'  Shortly  they  began  to  come  back 
to  us  and  say,  ^e  understand  now  that  we  are  like  the 
early  Christians,  a  little  company  in  the  heart  of  the 
non-Christian  world.  We  have  learned  what  Jesus 
taught  His  early  followers  to  do  and  we  are  going  to  do 
likewise.'  They  began  to  form  themselves  into  praying 
gi'oups  and  bands  and  a  short  and  searching  prayer  was 
printed  on  a  card  and  circulated  among  them.  The 
first  revival  came  in  the  boarding  schools.  It  reached 
others  through  the  pupils  of  these  schools.  'The  secret 
of  the  movement,  as  I  understand  it,'  says  Bishop 
Warne,  'is  our  Indian  slogan,  "Prayer  First." '  " 

Another  explanation  of  the  revival  is  the  telling  of 
the  story  of  the  Cross.  The  religions  of  India  have 
been  perpetuated  through  the  centuries  by  story  telling. 
After  the  day's  work  the  people  gather  around  the  little 
village  court  and  a  story-teller  narrates  the  story  of 
their  gods  and  thus  the  people  come  to  understand  their 


320  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

religion.  We  have  adopted  that  method  in  connection 
with  Christian  missions. 

The  great  strength  of  the  Movement  lies  in  the  spon- 
taneous and  indigenous  character  of  its  growth.  These 
simple  village  converts  are  taught  to  pray,  to  work  and 
to  give  of  their  substance.  And  they  do  give  out  of 
their  poverty,  a  poverty  so  deep  that  unless  one  has 
seen  it  he  can  scarcely  realise  what  it  is  like. 

And  they  endure  persecution.  In  one  village  there 
were  about  YO  Christians.  They  had  fled  from  their 
homes  because  of  persecution,  but  their  persecutors, 
who  could  not  do  without  their  service,  induced  them 
to  return.  But  now  they  were  forbidden,  as  Christians, 
to  draw  water  from  the  village  well.  It  would  be  pol- 
luted! A  long  distance  away,  across  the  fields,  was  a 
filthy  pond.  They  might  go  there  for  water.  About 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  poor  people  sur- 
rounded the  missionaiy  ci-ying,  "Please,  please  do  some- 
thing to  get  us  water."  The  shimmering  heat  was  ter- 
rible, 160  degrees  in  the  sun;  the  missionary  was  pow- 
erless; a  well  of  fresh  water  was  close  beside  them. 
And  yet  not  one  of  these  native  Christians  even  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  giving  up  their  new  found  faith  and 
hope,  although  all  were  promised  water  in  abundance 
if  they  would  do  so. 

One  missionary  says,  "The  secret  of  the  movement 
is  that  those  people  have  a  real  vision  of  Jesus  Christ.'* 


VI 
A  BLOOD-EED  SEAL 

In  China,  the  years  from  1860  to  1900  have  heen 
fitly  characterised  as  the  Period  of  Missionary  Penetra- 
tion and  Progress.  On  all  the  fields  of  Christian 
entei'prise,  work  was  advancing  with  a  spirit  of  steady 
enthusiasm  and  hopefulness,  when,  without  warning,  in 
June  of  1900,  a  storm  of  persecution  broke  over  a  large 
portion  of  the  Empire.  A  strange  sect  called  "the 
Boxers,"  a  name  denoting  in  Chinese  "Fists  of  Rightr 
eons  Harmony,"  was  organised  for  bloodshed,  their 
passionate  purpose  being  destruction  of  all  things  for- 
eign. The  missionaries  were  hated,  but  far  less  fanati- 
cally than  railroad  engineers  or  other  representatives 
of  foreign  civilised  innovation. 

But  a  blood-red  seal  was  set  on  the  Century's  scroll 
of  missionary  annals  by  the  Boxer  Kebellion.  About 
16,000  native  Christians,  135  Protestant  Missionaries, 
35  Roman  Catholic  priests,  9  Catholic  sisters  and  35 
children  were  massacred. 

Within  the  Forbidden  City  of  Peking,  during  the  last 
days  of  May  in  that  first  year  of  the  new  Century,  two 
great  Christian  Conferences  were  in  session: — the 
annual  gathering  of  the  Congregational  Mission  and 
that  of  the  Methodist  Conference.  The  delegates  to 
these  large  assemblies  were  gathered  from  far  and  near, 
some  of  them  coming  a  twelve  days'  journey  from  their 
homes.     A  sense  of  vague  dread  and  tension  weighed 

321 


S22  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

upon  all  the  Christians  assembled  in  Peking,  for  the 
first  mutterings  of  the  storm  were  already  heard.  And 
far  below  any  anxiety  concerning  possible  riots  and 
disturbances,  those  not  being  unusual  in  China, — lay 
the  conviction  that  the  Chinese  Government  was  in 
sympathy  with  the  present  unrest ;  for  in  the  Imperial 
palace,  holding  the  reins  of  power  in  her  hand,  dwelt 
the  Empress  Dowager,  notorious  for  her  fierce  hatred 
of  foreigners.  The  ministers  of  the  various  foreign 
powers  resident  in  Peking  in  vain  urged  the  Chinese 
officials  to  take  measures  to  check  the  gathering  storm, 
but  nothing  was  done.  On  Thursday,  May  31st,  only 
four  days  before  all  railway  communication  with  the 
world  outside  was  severed,  at  the  call  of  the  ministers 
themselves,  450  marines  of  the  different  nationalities 
from  Tien-tsin  came  together  in  Peking.  Dr.  Game- 
well  of  Peking,  who  was  present  through  all,  solemnly 
says:  "A  part  of  God's  plan  of  salvation  for  us  was 
the  presence  of  those  marines  who  fought  so  nobly  for 
the  defence  of  the  women  and  children  within  our 
lines." 

"In  the  Methodist  Mission,"  to  quote  further  from 
Dr.  Gamewell,  "were  gathered  together  the  missionaries 
of  the  Congregational,  Presbyterian,  the  London  and 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Missions,  who  were  there  from 
June  4  to  20.  Then  came  the  demand  on  June  19th 
that  all  foreigners  should  leave  Peking  within  24  hours. 
As  we  had  in  one  enclosure  from  60  to  70  foreign  ladies 
and  children  and  .about  600  native  converts,  men,  wo- 
men and  children,  to  leave  was  impossible,  the  rather 
that  the  only  means  of  travel  was  by  bullock  carts. 
Furthermore,  we  knew  that  order  to  be  simply  a  subter- 
fuge to  get  us  outside  the  city  walls  where  we  would 
all  be  massacred.    That  was  a  night  of  intense  anxiety. 


A  BLOOD-RED  SEAL  323 

On  the  following  morning,  Baron  von  Ketteler,  head  of 
the  German  Legation,  while  passing  through  the  streets, 
was  shot  down  and  killed  in  cold  blood  by  a  military 
mandarin.  This  was  the  final  note  of  mortal  peril  to 
every  foreigner  in  Peking.  The  company  gathered  to- 
gether in  the  Methodist  compound,  by  instant  action, 
were  able  to  reach  the  common  shelter  of  foreigners, 
the  British  Legation,  before  four  o'clock  that  afternoon 
without  loss  of  a  life.  Once  within  these  precincts,  the 
company  of  Christians  breathed  more  freely,  but  dan- 
gers of  the  gravest  sort  still  surrounded  them,  dangers 
from  shot  and  shell,  from  incendiary  fire,  from  famine 
and  disease.  Yet  here,  the  whole  company  abode  from 
June  20th  to  August  14th;  crowded  together,  on  short 
rations,  keeping  incessant  watch,  counselling  continu- 
ally as  to  better  measures  of  defence,  seeing  the  sky 
lurid  at  night  with  the  fires  destroying  foreign  build- 
ings, including  the  much-loved  mission  premises,  and 
hearing  the  cry  of  the  mob  surging  against  the  wall, 
'Kill,  kill,  kill!'  All  hands  worked  to  extend  and  rein- 
force the  existing  fortifications.  ,  On  August  14th,  the 
allied  armies  of  England,  Russia,  France,  Germany  and 
the  LTnited  States  marched  into  Peking  and  put  the 
Boxers  to  flight." 

The  shadow  of  death,  gradually  dispelled  from  Pe- 
king, settled  relentlessly  over  Pao-ting-fu.  The  story 
of  its  noble  company  of  martyrs  requires  no  detailed 
repetition  here.  Throughout  the  province,  placards 
were  posted:  "The  Gods  assist  the  Boxers.  It  is  be- 
cause the  foreign  devils  disturb  the  Middle  Kingdom, 
urging  the  people  to  join  their  religion,  to  turn  their 
backs  on  Heaven,  venerate  not  the  Gods  and  forget  the 
Ancestors,  etc." 

On  the  morning  of  July  1,  the  Congregational  com- 


324  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

pound  at  Pao-ting-fu  was  attacked.  Horace  Pitkin, 
head  of  the  mission,  met  the  attack  bravely  and  defended 
the  lady  missionaries  with  all  the  chivalrous  courage  of 
his  nature.  They  all  leaped  through  a  rear  window  of 
the  church  and  took  refuge  in  a  small  room  in  the  school 
yard.  Here,  he  died  by  the  sword,  a  death  that  any 
hero  might  be  proud  to  die.  The  young  ladies  were 
bound  and  cruelly  dragged  beyond  the  city  wall,  where 
they  too,  found  the  martyrs'  death.  On  Saturday, 
March  23,  1901,  at  11  o'clock,  was  held  a  memorial  and 
burial  service  at  Pao-ting-fu.  It  was  the  memorial  serv- 
ice to  the  five  Presbyterian  missionaries,  their  wives, 
children  and  thirty-four  native  Christians.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  a  like  service  was  held  in  the  Congregational 
compound,  where  were  ranged  twenty-six  coffins  with 
the  names  of  Horace  Pitkin,  Miss  Morrill,  Miss  Gould, 
Pastor  Meng  and  the  others.  On  a  banner  in  front  of 
the  coffins  were  inscribed  the  names  of  forty-three  Chi- 
nese martyrs  belonging  to  the  mission.  It  was  because 
he  would  not  leave  these  helpless  disciples  to  meet  their 
fate  alone  that  Horace  Pitkin  stayed  at  his  post  at 
Pao-ting-fu.  "He  that  loseth  his  life  for  My  sake  and 
the  Gospel's,  the  same  shall  save  it." 

One  of  the  young  missionaries  for  whom  Pitkin  gave 
his  life  and  whose  martyrdom  quickly  succeeded  his, 
Mary  Morrill,  had  great  fruit  in  her  death. 

In  the  band  of  soldiers  who  surrounded  the  Congre- 
gational compound  on  one  of  those  June  days  of  terror, 
was  one  named  Feng  Yu  Hsiang,  a  youth  of  eighteen. 
He  was  a  clear-eyed,  clear-headed,  independent  fellow 
who  now  and  again,  though  a  Chinaman,  thought  for 
himself  and  was  capable  of  drawing  impartial  conclu- 
sions. He  stood  now  at  his  post,  a  sentinel,  while 
around  him  the  mob,  armed  with  swords  and  knives, 


A  BLOOD-RED  SEAL  S25 

shrieking  and  yelling  in  their  savage  frenzy,  battered 
at  the  gates.  Suddenly,  to  his  amazement,  Feng  saw 
the  gate  open,  and  a  girl  walk  out  alone, — an  American 
girl  he  knew  at  a  glance.  As  she  stood  before  them, 
fearless  though  utterly  unprotected,  the  furious  mob, 
overawed  and  astounded  as  if  they  saw  a  supernatural 
being,  became  silent  and  motionless.  Then  the  girl 
spoke.  She  was  Mary  Morrill  and  she  had  come  from 
her  peaceful  ISTew  England  home  to  give  her  life  for 
China.  That  her  term  of  service  must  be  rudely 
shortened,  as  she  plainly  perceived,  was  no  appalling 
disaster  to  a  heart  fixed  on  the  One  who  had  died  for 
her.^  What  Maiy  Morrill  said  in  that  breathless  mo- 
ment, recalled  and  treasured  by  some  who  were  present, 
was  in  this  fashion :  "Why  do  you  seek  to  kill  us  ?  You 
must  know  we  are  your  friends,  that  we  have  come  here 
solely  to  do  you  good.  All  these  years  we  have  lived 
among  you,  we  have  visited  in  your  homes,  we  have 
taught  your  children  in  our  schools,  we  have  saved  the 
lives  of  many  of  your  sick  in  our  hospital.  We  have 
only  love  in  our  hearts.  And  you  have  death  in  your 
hearts  for  us.  I  beg  you  to  go  away  and  spare  the  lives 
of  us  missionaries  and  the  Chinese  Christians  who  are 
with  us."  There  was  a  breathless  silence  as  she  ceased 
speaking  and  waited  for  a  reply.  But  no  reply  was 
given  and  she  went  on  to  make  her  last  appeal :  "If  you 
will  not  spare  the  lives  of  my  companions,  then,  I  en- 
treat you,  take  my  life  in  their  stead.  I  offer  myself 
to  you  now.  I  am  only  a  woman,  defenceless  in  your 
hands.  Take  me  if  you  will,  but  save,  O  save,  the 
others." 

Feng,  the  sentinel,  watched  from  his  place,  watched 
and  listened.    He  saw  the  mob  break  up  in  silence.    He 

*  Condensed  from  A  Nohle  Army.     Ethel  Daniela  Hubbard. 


326  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

saw  tLose  wlio  had  just  now  been  filled  witli  murderous 
frenzy,  subdued  and  shamefaced,  steal  away  one  after 
the  other,  leaving  the  place  deserted.  He  drew  his  con- 
clusion, and  a  veiy  solemn  conclusion,  thus:  "There  is 
a  woman  who  is  a  real  Christian.  She  practises  ©very 
word  she  says.  I  never  dreamed  there  could  be  a  per- 
son so  full  of  love  for  others.  She  was  ready  to  give 
her  life  for  their  sakes.  She  is  like  the  Christ  of  the 
Christians,  who,  they  say,  suffered  death  on  the  cross 
to  save  the  world  from  sin.  The  time  is  coming  when 
I  shall  have  to  be  a  Christian.  I  cannot  resist  a  re- 
ligion like  this." 

^ot  many  days  afterward  Mary  Morrill,  a  timid  girl 
by  nature,  went  to  her  death  at  the  hands  of  the  rioters, 
they  having  now  shaken  off  the  spell  of  her  appeal.  She, 
with  Annie  Gould,  knowing  that  their  hour  had  come, 
went  to  their  rooms,  read  from  their  Bible,  prayed,  and 
then  put  on  fresh  white  raiment  for  their  burial,  shortly 
to  be  accomplished.  And  so,  with  gentle  composure, 
and  thought  of  others  to  the  last  breath,  these  maiden 
martyrs  met  the  end. 

But  the  end  for  them  was  but  the  beginning  for  Feng 
Yu  Hsiang.  He  never  forgot  the  sight  or  the  words  of 
that  girl  whose  courage  before  his  very  eyes  had  put 
to  flight  the  army  of  the  aliens.  In  1912  at  a  great 
meeting  in  which  John  R.  Mott  called  upon  those  who 
heard  him  to  confess  Christ,  Feng,  a  Major  of  the  Chi- 
nese army  now,  obeyed  the  voice  and  was  not  disobedi- 
ent to  that  heavenly  vision  which  abode  in  the  inner, 
shrine  of  his  heart.  He  is  now  described  by  thought- 
ful men  as  "possibly  the  greatest  single  Christian  force 
in  China." 

General  Feng  became  the  military  Governor  of  the 
Province  of  Hunan,  with  its  population  of  seven  or  eight 


A  BLOOD-RED  SEAL  327 

millions.  The  military  forces  under  him  are  said  to  be 
nine  men  out  of  ten  Christianised.  The  cities  in  which 
they  are  in  camps  are  cleansed  of  theatres,  gambling 
dens  and  opium  resorts.  Athletic  grounds,  schools  for. 
arts  and  crafts  as  well  as  book  learning ;  workshops  and 
sanitariums  for  victims  of  the  opium  habit  have  taken 
the  place  of  them.  Profanity,  drinking  and  gambling 
are  not  allowed  in  General  Feng's  camps.  Song  services 
and  study  of  the  Bible  are  the  popular  relaxation  from 
drill  and  manual  labour. 

An  English  missionary  associated  with  General  Feng's 
army  in  Hunan,  baptised  275  soldiers  at  one  service, 
and  at  another  camp,  on  the  following  day,  he  baptised 
232  commissioned  or  non-commissioned  officers.  At  the 
close  of  the  baptismal  service  he  spoke  to  the  men  after 
this  manner, — "You  have  now  confessed  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  by  baptism.  Suppose  persecution  again  broke 
out  as  in  1900.  I  have  on  my  body  the  marks  of  Boxer 
swords  and  many  of  your  countrymen  died  for  Jesus 
that  year.  If  such  persecution  as  that  arose,  would  you 
slink  quietly  away  and  not  own  your  Saviour  ?" 

"Never,"  cried  hundreds  of  voices  in  unison.  "ISTever. 
We  will  die  for  Him." 


What  of  the  Christian  Church  of  China,  devastated 
and  scattered  abroad  by  the  Boxer  uprising?  Instead 
of  being  wiped  out  by  that  Eeign  of  Terror,  it  has 
gained  nearly  80  per  cent  in  membership.  And  as  for 
the  people  of  Pao-ting-fu,  they  are  now  above  any  people 
in  China,  ready  and  willing  to  accept  Christianity. 
Kever  will  they  forget  the  witness  of  the  martyrs  of 
1900. 


VII 

CROSS  AND  CRESCENT 

Islam  has  long  been  known  as  the  Gibraltar  of  the 
non-Cliristian  world.  In  India  the  followers  of  Mo^ 
hammed  are  not  the  dominant  race.  In  the  Turkish 
Empire,  in  Persia  and  in  Arabia  they  are  unquestion- 
ably such  and  their  definite  repudiation  of  the  appeal 
of  Christianity  is  found  to  be  even  more  obstinate  than 
in  India. 

Throughout  these  lands  the  missionaries  have  been 
obliged  to  build  up  a  native  Church  not  wholly,  but  in 
large  measure,  from  the  Nestorian  and  Armenian  pop- 
ulations rather  than  from  the  Moslem.  Christian  mis- 
sions throughout  the  Near  East  have  thus  carried  on 
for  nearly  a  century  a  prosperous  work  on  all  the  varied 
lines  of  Christian  effort,  since  the  days  of  Goodell  and 
Hamlin,  medical  work  having  exerted  a  peculiarly  pow- 
erful influence.  Among  notable  events  in  this  division 
of  the  field  has  been  the  mission  in  1885  of  Keith  Fal- 
coner to  Arabia.  Although  his  life  was  cut  short  his 
work  goes  on.  Another  enterprise  of  great  promise  is 
the  undenominational  work,  for  Moslems  exclusively, 
reorganised  in  1889  by  James  Cantine  and  S.  M. 
Zwemer,  with  stations  chiefly  in  Arabia. 

The  effect  of  the  Great  War  upon  Moslem  and  Ar- 
menian has  been  both  tragic  and  disastrous.  The  an- 
nals of  the  Armenian  people,  the  martyr-nation,  were 
written  in  blood,  fully  half  of  them  having  perished. 

328 


CROSS  AND  CRESCENT  329^ 

But  as  in  every  conflict  between  the  Cross  and  tlie 
Crescent  Christian  missionaries  and  Christian  natives 
upheld  the  spirit  of  love,  compassion  and  forgiveness 
while  the  forces  of  Islam  dealt  out  cruelty,  destruction 
and  death  on  every  side.    Each  ran  true  to  form. 

Among  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Armenian  and 
other  Christians  whose  lives  have  been  lost  in  Turkey 
and  Persia  during  the  war  were  professors  and  teachers 
in  mission  schools,  native  pastors,  their  wives  and  pupils. 
Seven  native  professors  of  the  Euphrates  College  at 
Harput  were  tortured  by  the  Turks  with  diabolical 
cruelty ;  four  of  the  number  died.  In  some  cases  death 
has  come,  not  directly  by  violence,  but  as  a  result  of 
indescribable  hardships  and  exposure  to  contagious 
disease. 

On  the  field  nearly  all  of  the  millions  of  dollars  that 
were  secured  and  the  hundred  of  tons  of  food  that 
were  distributed  were  handled  by  foreign  missionaries, 
the  Presbyterian  missionaries  doing  practically  all  of 
this  work  in  Persia  and  Syria.  War  raged  continually. 
Hostile  armies  ravaged  the  country,  destroyed  crops, 
killed  the  men  and  boys,  and  carried  helpless  women 
and  girls  into  captivity.  Hospitals  were  seized  and 
looted,  and  hospital  stores  taken.  Practically  the  entire 
nation  of  !N"estorians  was  compelled  to  flee  from 
Urumia ;  thousands  of  them  lost  their  lives.  But  in  the 
face  of  war,  of  pestilence,  of  famine,  of  much  illness  in 
the  mission  force,  the  missionaries  laboured  on  among 
these  people,  many  of  them  making  the  supreme  sac- 
rifice in  their  efforts  to  save  the  lives  of  others. 

It  is  difficult  to  convey  a  true  conception  of  the  serv- 
ices thus  rendered  during  this  Eeign  of  Terror.  The 
missionaries  took  the  sick  and  wounded  into  their  own 
homes,   and  the  medical  men   and  women  performed 


330  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

operations  on  the  housetops.     At  times  one  could  not 
step  without  touching  the  sick,  the  dying,  the  dead. 


An  old  fashioned  Turk  at  Aintab,  Central  Turkey, 
said  of  Dr.  Fred  Douglas  Shepard,  "He  seems  happiest 
when  he  is  helping  somehody."  A  better  description 
could  hardly  be  given  of  this  great  and  gallant  soldier 
of  the  Cross,  who  closed  a  term  of  thirty-four  years  as 
medical  missionary  at  the  close  of  the  year  1915.  He 
fell  a  victim  to  the  war  epidemic  of  typhus,  against 
which,  as  long  as  he  was  able,  he  had  fought  a  good 
fight  "for  his  people." 

On  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  coming  to 
Aintab  of  Dr.  Shepard  and  his  wife  a  company  of  over 
3,000  people  were  gathered  to  do  honour  to  the  beloved 
physician.  In  response  to  the  tributes  paid  to  him  and 
to  his  noble  work  in  and  around  Aintab,  Dr.  Shepard, 
simple  and  unassuming  as  always,  gave  his  own  best 
biography. 

"If  one  who  did  not  know  me,"  he  said,  "had  listened; 
to  what  has  been  said  about  me  during  the  last  two 
hours,  he  would  think  that  Dr.  Shepard  must  be  some 
great  man;  but  you  and  I  know  that  it  is  not  so.  A 
farmer's  son,  I  grew  up  as  an  orphan.  I  finished  school 
with  great  difficulty,  I  have  not  marked  intellectual 
ability.  Yet  this  great  gathering  on  a  busy  week-day 
afternoon  must  have  a  reason.  I  know  that  this  reason 
is  not  I,  myself.  It  is  One  greater  than  I  am — God 
and  His  love.  For  one  who  knows  how  God  loves  men, 
and  how  Jesus  has  saved  us,  not  to  tell  others  about  that 
love  is  impossible.  Because  I  have  understood  a  little 
of  that  love,  I  try  to  let  others  know  about  it.  This  is 
the  purpose  of  my  life.    I  did  not  come  to  this  country 


CROSS  AND  CRESCENT  331 

to  make  money  or  to  win  a  reputation.  I  came  to  bear 
witness  to  this,  that  God  is  Love.  And  if  by  my  work 
or  life  I  have  been  able  to  show  this  to  you,  I  have  had 
my  reward  and  for  it  I  thank  God.  The  reason  why 
the  world  has  not  yet  been  set  free  from  its  ills  and 
diseases,  is  not  that  the  necessary  medicines  have  not 
yet  been  found;  it  is  that  men  do  not  love  each  other, 
and  that  the  rich  are  not  willing  to  use  their  money  for 
the  needs  of  the  poor.  I  beg  and  counsel  you  to  know 
that  God  is  Love,  and  to  love  each  other  in  deed  and 
truth." 

In  the  summer  of  1919  two  American  travellers  in 
the  city  of  Constantinople  chanced  to  catch  sight  oni 
the  street  of  a  familiar  face;  the  face  suggested  ITeW 
England  but  with  a  difference.  There  was  the  native 
keenness  of  intelligence,  the  meditative,  discerning; 
glance,  the  gentle  yet  resolute  mouth  which  they  knew 
well.  But  this  face  bore  marks  of  one  who  had  passed 
through  some  "abysmal  valley  dolorous;"  of  one  who 
has  fought  with  dark  forces  in  mortal  combat,  and  has 
been  proved  invincible.  It  was  not  quite  the  face 
they  knew. 

And  yet,  a  second  glance,  and  the  Americans  recog- 
nised this  woman  after  all,  for  their  old  friend. 

'^Mary  Graffam!"  they  cried.  "You  in  Constanti- 
nople !  Thank  God  you  are  coming  home  at  last.  How 
soon  are  you  sailing  ?" 

"Sailing?"  Mary  Graffam  answered,  for  a  moment 
perplexed.  "Sailing  for  America  ?  Oh,  no.  I  am  not 
here  now  to  go  home.  I  just  came  down  from  Sivas  to 
grind  a  few  axes." 

"Grinding  axes"  was  Mary  Graffam's  whimsy  for 
working  upon  the  Turkish  government  to  gain  succour 


332  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

for  her  refugees  in  Sivas.  And  so  she  went  back  after 
one  of  her  familiar  encounters  with  the  craft  and  cruelty 
of  the  Moslem  officials,  back  to  her  lonely  post  in  the 
heart  of  Asia  Minor.  Her  one  comrade  and  companion 
had  fallen,  plague-stricken  by  her  side.  She  was  alone 
now,  but  undaunted.  For  two  years  yet  she  must  keep 
her  lonely  light  burning. 

There  are  martyrs  whose  death  is  their  great  glory, 
of  whom  it  could  be  said  reverently,  nothing  became 
them  like  their  dying.  But  of  Mary  Graffam,  who  faced 
a  hundred  deaths,  it  seemed  true  that  she  could  not 
die,  imtil  she  had  by  mighty  ministration  fulfilled  in 
history  the  part  assigned  her. 

When  the  war  broke  out  Miss  Graffam  was  principal 
of  a  prosperous  Christian  high-school  for  Armenian  girls 
in  Sivas,  as  well  as  supervisor  of  all  schools  for  girls 
in  the  Sivas  Mission,  having  in  charge  a  total  of  seven 
hundred  pupils.  Into  her  peacefully  ordered  life,  not 
long  after  Turkey  had  declared  war,  came  a  cry  for 
help  from  the  fighting  front  at  Erzroom.  Turkish  of- 
ficials called  urgently  for  a  contingent  of  the  foreign 
doctors,  nurses  and  relief  workers  from  the  Mission. 
Miss  Graffam  was  one  of  the  group  which  responded. 

After  a  three  weeks'  journey  through  the  mountains 
which  intervene  between  Sivas  and  Erzroom,  the  Tur- 
kish headquarters  were  reached,  and  in  short  order 
Miss  Graffam,^  with  no  professional  training,  found 
herself  matron  and  head  nurse  of  the  Red  Crescent  Hos- 
pital for  wounded  officers.  Her  management  of  this 
institution  would  have  afforded  entertainment  to  a 
shrewd  spectator,  for  she  gathered  the  reins  into  her 
OV5T1  hands  until  her  authority  was  absolute  and  Turkish 

*  Condensed  from  Marj/  Louise  Graffam  of  Sivas.  E.  D.  Hub- 
bard. 


CROSS  AND  CRESCENT  335 

oflScials  became  liuinble  subjects  of  her  will.  An  un- 
oalaried,  unofficial,  foreign  woman  at  the  head  of  a  Tur- 
kish military  institution,  an  absolute  autocrat  in 
method,  yet  respected  and  trusted  by  all  her  colleagues 
and  constantly  receiving  grateful  letters  from  her 
former  patients !  The  paradoxes  of  Miss  Graffam's  life 
are  indeed  an  interesting  study.  It  was  in  the  hospital 
at  Erzroom  that  she  deliberately  acquired  the  Turkish 
language,  realising  it  would  be  a  useful  weapon  to  pos- 
sess before  the  war  was  over. 

The  fighting  around  Erzroom  over,  Miss  Graffam  re- 
turned to  Sivas  only  to  be  met  by  a  deportation  decree, 
involving  the  pupils  of  the  Sivas  ]\rission.  When  the 
date  of  departure  was  proclaimed,  Miss  Graffam  went 
at  once  to  the  Vali  to  see  what  could  be  done.  When 
other  expedients  had  failed,  she  entreated  the  Vali  that 
at  least  a  few  Armenians  might  be  left  behind  in  Sivas. 

"Why  keep  any  behind?"  parried  the  Vali.  "They 
are  going  safely.    Why  separate  families  ?" 

A  sudden  resolve  formed  in  Miss  Graffam's  mind. 

"If  the  Armenians  are  going  to  be  safely  cared  for, 
I  intend  to  accompany  them  on  deportation." 

The  Vali  was  evidently  nonplussed  by  this  announce- 
ment but  made  no  comment.  Miss  Graffam  went  out 
from  his  presence  to  make  preparation  for  the  journey 
— another  voluntary  journey  into  dangers  unimagin- 
able. 

!Mominally  the  Government  provided  an  ox-cart  per 
family,  but  no  such  provision  was  made  for  the  pupils- 
and  teachers  of  the  missionary  schools  and  Miss  Graf- 
fam furnished  the  equipment  herself.  Slie  procured 
two  ox-cart5,  two  horse  arabas,  five  or  six  donkeys  and 
a  supply  of  medicine,  food  and  money.  On  the  seventh 
day  of  July  the  exodus  took  place,  the  Armenians  con- 


334  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

nected  with  the  Mission  forming  a  section  by  them- 
selves, about  three  thousand  in  all.  In  her  wagon  Miss 
Graffam  placed  the  aged  and  feeble  women,  while  she 
herself  set  out  on  foot,  leading  a  reluctant  cow,  the 
property  of  a  poor  woman,  which  otherwise  must  be 
left  behind.  And  so  the  odd,  pitiful  procession  passed 
out  of  the  city,  which  should  have  been  a  city  of  refuge, 
into  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 

Each  day  brought  new  terrors. 

Toward  sunset  of  the  day  appointed,  the  gendarmes 
came  and  singled  out  the  men,  two  hundred  of  them, 
marching  them  away  to  the  nearby  village.  At  noon 
of  the  next  day,  not  knowing  what  fate  had  befallen 
their  husbands  and  fathers,  the  women  and  children 
were  driven  on,  those  who  could  not  keep  up  with  the 
prescribed  speed  being  killed  or  left  to  die.  Miss  Graf- 
fam counted  fifty  who  dropped  from  the  ranks  in  one 
day  and  many  more  escaped  her  count.  She  saw  them 
crazed  and  dying  with  thirst,  she  saw  them  shot  down 
if  they  went  to  the  river  to  drink;,  she  saw  girls  taken 
captive  by  the  Kurds ;  and  as  far  as  her  eye  could  reach 
over  the  plain,  she  watched  that  endless  slow-moving 
line  of  ox-carts,  toiling  along  under  the  July  sun. 

"We  got  accustomed  to  being  robbed,"  commented 
Miss  Graffam  with  characteristic  conciseness.  But 
there  were  things  to  which  the  human  heart  cannot  be- 
come accustomed.  The  final  agony  came  when,  arrived 
at  Malatia,  she  was  forced  to  watch  the  girls  and  women 
whom  she  had  thus  far  protected  by  her  presence  on  the 
Via  Dolorosa,  marched  by  on  their  way  to  the  name^ 
less  inferno  resei'ved  for  them  by  the  Turk.  For  three 
weeks  she  was  held  captive  at  Malatia  which  she  de- 
scribed as  an  ante-chamber  to  hell;  then,  at  last,  was 
permitted  once  more  to  return  to  Sivas. 


CROSS  AND  CRESCENT  335 

On  the  way  back  occurred  the  one  and  only  event  of 
her  career  when  Mary  GrafFam  acknowledged  fear.  She 
was  passing  through  a  village  which  bore  a  particularly 
unsavoury  reputation.  The  Armenian  men  were  already 
dead  and  the  Kurdish  inhabitants  were  "seeing  red." 
A  crowd  collected  about  her  araba,  mocking  and  jeer- 
ing. The  mob  spirit  was  gathering  force  to  spring  upon 
its  victim.  One  stone  flung  and  the  demon  would  be 
loose !  In  the  confusion  her  driver  had  made  a  timely 
disappearance  and  Miss  Graifam  was  left  alone  with 
the  aged  woman  she  had  retained  as  servant.  Jumping 
into  the  driver's  seat,  she  gave  the  Turks'  call  to  their 
horses,  lashed  them  with  the  whip  and  galloped  out  of 
the  astounded  crowd,  who  stood  gaping  after  her,  cry- 
ing: "Aman,  Aman,  Inshalla!"  and  thinking,  "what 
manner  of  woman  is  this?" 

In  May,  1916,  the  mission  buildings  at  Sivas  were 
commandeered  for  military  use  and  every  American 
ordered  to  leave  the  city,  except  Miss  Graffam  and  Miss 
Fowle,  who  were  assigned  to  small  quarters  in  the  city 
compound.  The  orphans  were  crowded  into  a  house  near 
by  and  left  unmolested  to  the  guardianship  of  the  two 
women.  Miss  Fowle,  as  well  as  Miss  Graffam,  was  a 
past  master  in  dealing  with  Turkish  officials,  having 
perfect  familiarity  with  the  language  and  understand- 
ing Turkish  character.  Together  they  made  an  in- 
vincible team  and  the  work  they  accomplished  that 
summer  and  fall  was  stupendous. 

It  was  not  long  before  thousands  of  refugees  from 
the  East,  Moslems  and  Greeks  among  them,  came  stag- 
gering into  Sivas,  their  cry  for  help  expressed  in  their 
pinched  faces  and  scantily  clad  bodies.  With  no  mis- 
sion property  to  utilise  Miss  Graffam  undertook  to 
hire  quarters  for  these  refugees,  sheltering  them  as  best 


336  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

she  could  in  houses,  stables  and  woodsheds.  Every  day 
and  all  day  she  sat  in  her  office  receiving  applicants, 
hearing  their  stories,  instructing  her  helpers,  investigat- 
ing every  appeal,  calculating  expenditures,  always  cool- 
headed,  sane  but  nei've-racked  by  the  strain  of  refusing 
elemental  needs.  She  could  have  spent  four  times  the 
money  at  her  disposal.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  labours 
like  these  that  Miss  Fowle  fell  at  her  post,  the  victim 
of  typhus  fever.  Then  Mary  Graffam  was  left  alone 
in  the  tortured  city  of  Sivas. 

The  tale  of  her  achievement  in  Turkey  reaches  its 
climax  in  the  relief  work  she  organised  for  the  desti- 
tute refugees.  Originally  school  principal,  then  head 
nurse  of  the  Turkish  military  hospital,  orphanage- 
director,  advocate  of  the  helpless,  shepherd  of  an  un- 
counted flock,  she  became  finally  the  promoter  of  an 
industrial  undertaking  which  developed  into  a  many- 
sided  and  productive  enterprise.  She  started  a  factory 
which  employed  two  hundred  women  in  the  manufacture 
of  flannels  and  sweaters  for  the  Turkish  army.  When 
the  presence  of  Armenian  workers  in  the  factory  was 
challenged,  she  was  ready  with  the  reply,  "They  are 
working  for  the  Government,"  in  this  instance  a  con- 
clusive argument. 

She  leased  a  farm  in  the  hills  above  the  city,  and 
secured  an  option  on  its  purchase.  It  was  Miss 
Graifam's  linguistic  skill  that  enabled  her  to  secure  this 
prize  land,  for  she  was  on  easy  terms  of  intercourse 
with  the  German  agents  in  the  city,  through  whom  she 
made  the  transaction.  She  cultivated  extensive  crops 
upon  her  farm,  and  in  vision  projected  an  agricultural 
college  upon  the  former  crown  property. 

The  task  which  Miss  Grafi'am  undertook  in  the  chaos 
of  war  was  carried  on  and  extended  after  the  Armistice 


CROSS  AND  CRESCENT  337 

was  signed  and  new  relief  workers  arrived  in  Sivas. 
Her  war  orphanage  expanded  into  several  large  institu- 
tions, harbouring  more  than  eleven  hundred  boys  and 
girls.  The  industries  she  created  grew  into  a  many- 
sided  establishment  comprising  shops  for  carpentry, 
tailoring,  weaving,  a  foundry,  blacksmith  shop  and  shoe 
shop.  Miss  Graffam  was  appointed  director  of  the 
American  relief  unit,  and  with  a  more  elastic  treasury 
plus  a  corps  of  trained  workers,  the  enterprise  promptly 
assumed  new  dimensions. 

After  Miss  Fowle's  death  the  Turks  became  so  men- 
acing that  Miss  Graffam  made  up  her  mind  that  she 
must  sooner  or  later  die  at  their  hands.  She  reached 
this  conclusion  deliberately  and,  having  reached  it,  re- 
solved to  sell  her  life  as  dearly  as  possible.  With  death 
as  a  definite  expectation  she  became  completely  emanci- 
pated from  fear.  Willingness  to  die  brought  relief 
from  bondage  to  life's  restraints.  In  their  own  lan- 
guage she  remonstrated  freely  with  the  Turks,  appealing 
to  their  religion  for  condemnation  of  their  deeds. 
"What  answer  will  you  give  at  the  Day  of  Judgment  ?" 
she  demanded.  To  the  logic  of  her  demand  they  began 
slowly  to  yield,  being  well  aware  that  their  conduct  was 
contrary  to  the  ethics,  even  of  Islam. 

Despite  the  high-sounding  tributes  of  recognition 
which  Miss  Graffam  received,  the  annoyances  she 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Turkish  Government  form 
no  trifling  episode  in  the  history  of  her  career.  Re- 
peatedly she  was  ejected  from  her  living  quarters ;  five 
times  her  orphanage  was  moved;  her  financial  accounts 
had  to  be  buried  first  in  one  place,  then  another  to 
escape  the  coveted  possession  of  the  Turks.  Twice  the 
order  was  issued  that  her  house  should  be  searched  and 
one  time  she  was  tried  in  court  for  treason.     She  was 


338  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

wont  to  remark  that  if  ever  she  was  in  a  place  where 
the  police  did  not  visit  her  every  day  she  should  be 
content. 

In  the  summer  of  1919  Major-General  Harbord  and 
his  staff  spent  two  days  in  Sivas;  and  the  head  of  the 
American  Mission  to  the  !N"ear  East  came  into  interest- 
ing contact  with  the  woman  missionary  whom  he  de- 
scribed as  the  "outstanding  figure  in  this  part  of  Asia." 
In  the  World's  Work  for  June,  1920,  General  Harbord 
gives  two  columns  to  the  narration  of  Miss  Graffam's 
achievement. 

"Her  experiences,"  he  asserts,  'Tiave  never  been 
duplicated  in  the  history  of  womankind.  Her  knowl- 
edge of  Turkish,  Armenian  and  German  enabled  her 
to  play  a  part  in  the  stirring  events  of  the  last  six  years 
which  has  probably  never  been  equalled  by  any  other 
woman  in  the  chronicles  of  missionary  effort." 

Suddenly  in  the  Sivas  Hospital,  in  August,  1921, 
Mary  Graffam  entered  into  her  rest. 


vm 

MAKERS  OF  THE  TUTURE 

"iN'ot  since  the  days  of  the  Reformation,  not  indeed 
since  Pentecost,  has  so  great  an  opportunity  confronted 
the  Christian  Church.  .  .  .  The  Far  East  as  a  whole 
stands  at  the  parting  of  the  ways."  Thus  says  Bishop 
Bashford. 

IsTot  only  is  the  Far  East  at  the  parting  of  the  ways. 
The  same  is  true  of  Moslem  Lands  and  in  superlative 
degree  of  India.  Everywhere  is  unrest  and  tumult; 
everywhere  a  groping  for  the  light. 

One  of  America's  wisest  elder  statesmen  has  recently 
declared,  viewing  the  world  situation,  that  no  intellec- 
tual or  material  accomplishment  can  solve  the  manifold 
problems  of  the  present.  He  considers  the  purified 
character  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  people  of  every 
nation  the  only  solution.  Such  character  he  describes 
as  having  for  its  essentials,  mercy,  compassion,  kindly 
consideration,  brotherly  affection,  s,)TQpathy  with  fellow 
man,  unselfish  willingness  to  sacrifice  for  others. 

Surely  these  are  the  Christian  ideals,  the  fruits  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Accepting  this  dictum  as  simple  truth, 
the  missionary  enterprise  of  the  Church  takes  on  a  new 
and  thrilling  significance.  Wandering  lights  have  failed 
the  world.  The  Divine  Light  alone  can  lighten  the 
gloom. 

Let  us  listen  to  the  solemn  admonition  of  a  Chinese 
statesman.    ''True  liberty  does  not  come  from  mere 

339 


S40  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

political  upheavals,"  he  affirms.  ''True  liberty  comes 
only  when  a  man  is  freed  from  his  sins.  It  only  cornea 
when  he  has  established  a  true  relationship  between 
himself  and  God,  and  himself  and  other  men.  With- 
out that  he  will  not  be  free.  One  of  the  best  means 
— indeed  the  best — of  bringing  freedom  to  the  world 
is  to  carry  Christianity  to  all  peoples.  In  Christianity 
we  find  the  germs  of  all  democracy.  We  find  service 
and  brotherhood  and  helpfulness.  In  service  and  in 
love  of  one  another  we  find  the  source  of  freedom.  I 
always  maintain  in  my  political  work  that  to  have  prog- 
gress  we  must  bring  the  Gospel  to  all  the  people." 

These  two  Christian  statesmen,  the  Hon.  Elihu  Root 
and  the  Hon.  C.  T.  Wang,  Vice-President  of  the  Chinese 
Senate  and  Delegate  to  the  Peace  Conference  at  Ver- 
sailles, have  spoken  prophetically.  Believing  that  the 
Christian  Church  cannot  fail  to  respond  in  this  crisis 
to  the  mortal  challenge  of  human  need  the  question  be- 
comes. How  best  shall  Christianity  be  made  regnant 
among  the  nations  ? 

For  a  hundred  years  and  more  the  Church  has  laid 
the  emphasis  upon  the  number  of  missionaries  and  their 
character.  This  emphasis  must  be  maintained.  But 
just  here  two  vital  points  face  us  at  the  Home  Base. 
While  the  number  and  fitness  of  missionaries  should  be 
developed  as  fast  as  possible,  they  must,  first  of  all, 
be  men  of  unimpaired  faith  in  the  atoning  sacrifice  and 
Divine  nature  of  our  Lord. 

Warnings  come  to  us  from  Japan,  from  China,  from 
other  fields,  of  young  missionaries  who  bring  an  un- 
certain message.  It  cannot  be  forgotten  that  the  Danish- 
Halle  Mission  in  India,  after  a  century  of  noble  work, 
"expired  under  the  influence  of  rationalism,"  to  use  the 
phrase  of  Kurtz,  the  German  church  historian.     "The 


MAKERS  OF  THE  FUTURE       341 

factor  that  is  really  undennining  Christian  faith  is 
destructive  criticism,  shaking  faith  in  the  Bible  and 
Christ  as  the  divine  Saviour.  Buddhism  and  all  other 
false  religions  attack  us  from  without  and  we  can  fight 
them  squarely,  but  when  destructive  criticism  comes 
into  the  Church,  it  is  like  an  assault  from  within,  and 
is  most  damaging."  Thus  writes  Paul  Kanamori,  the 
Japanese  evangelist  who  is  giving  his  life  to  the  procla- 
mation of  the  Gospel  among  his  people. 

Other  signs  point  no  less  clearly  to  the  necessity  of  a 
truce  to  sectarianism  in  missions.  There  must  be  in 
non-Christian  lands  an  end  of  competing  institutions, 
in  the  name  of  Him  in  Whom  we  all  are  one. 

"Hang  on  to  co-operation  like  grim  death."  So  speaks 
a  voice  from  China.  And  there  are  signs  of  promise. 
Even  now  various  Mission  Boards  of  America  and  Great 
Britain  at  work  in  China,  are  considering  a  plan  for 
the  amalgamation  of  the  sixteen  denominational  uni- 
versities and  colleges,  now  existing,  into  five  Union 
universities  to  be  located  in  five  principal  centres  in 
various  parts  of  China.  Furthermore,  besides  the  five 
Women's  Christian  Colleges  already  named  in  different 
lands  as  under  Union  auspices,  there  have  recently  been 
established  two  Union  Medical  Colleges  for  women,  one 
in  Peking,  the  other  in  Vellore,  India. 

In  September,  1921,  a  gathering  of  representatives 
of  all  Christian  denominations  engaged  in  foreign  mis- 
sion work,  and  of  14  countries,  met  at  Lake  !Mohonk, 
!N'ew  York,  and  organised  the  International  Missionaryi 
Council,  an  outgrowth  of  the  great  Edinburgh  Confer- 
ence of  1010.     The  scene  is  thus  described: 

"Across  the  table  a  Church  of  England  bishop,  for- 
merly of  Madagascar,  looked  into  the  eyes  of  a  Japanese 
Methodist  bishop.    Bearing  like  titles,  they  represented 


842  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

opposite  poles  as  to  ecclesiastical  theories  of  the  epis- 
copacy. A  Dutch  baron  and  an  English  baronet  looked 
across  to  the  son  of  a  West  African  Chief.  Representa- 
tives of  Australian  and  South  African  Societies  looked 
across  to  those  of  ITorway,  Sweden  and  Finland.  Many 
had  crossed  the  sea  to  be  present.  One  had  been  jour- 
neying forty  days  to  reach  Mohonk.  Perseverance, 
purposeful  thinking  and  mutual  trust  and  consideration 
prevailed." 

As  we  have  rapidly  glanced  through  the  annals  of 
missions  in  these  pages  one  figure  and  one  force  have 
emerged  as  the  units  of  the  whole  system:  the  native 
Christian  and  the  native  Church.  In  them  lies  the  hope 
of  the  future. 

A  momentous  discussion  was  held  in  the  International 
Council  on  "Church  and  Mission."  The  Council  was 
convinced  that  in  particular  in  India  and  China,  and 
to  a  lesser  extent  in  other  parts  of  the  mission  field, 
the  time  has  come  for  measures  to  diminish  the  foreign 
character  of  the  Church  in  the  eyes  of  the  people.  This 
foreign  character  is  a  handicap  to  mission  progress 
which  can  be  overcome  only  in  the  degree  that  the  main 
leadership  and  direction  of  the  Christian  movement  pass 
into  native  hands. 

Here  is  the  crux  of  the  matter.  Can  the  leadership 
of  the  Christian  Church  now  established  in  India  and 
the  Far  East  in  the  main  be  passed  on  wisely  to  native 
hands  ?  AiSrmative  reply  can  be  found  by  considering 
a  few  out  of  numberless  names  of  native  Christians  now 
living  who  have  proved  themselves  worthy  of  confidence 
as  Makers  of  the  Future. 

In  India  and  Burma  outstanding  are  Mr.  K.  T.  Paul, 
ITational  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  India,  and  Ah  Sou,  the  celebrated  Burman 


MAKERS  OF  THE  FUTURE  $4,8 

teacher.  We  note  the  first  native  Anglican  bishop ;  he 
sprang  from  a  caste  so  humble  that  his  people  would  be 
excluded  from  Hindu  temples.  Bishop  Asaria  is  young 
yet,  but  he  bears  the  burdens  of  a  diocese  of  60,000 
souls.  He  can  bo  looked  upon  as  a  maker  of  Chris- 
tianity's future  in  India.  Sundar  Singh,  Christian 
Saddhu  and  mystic,  has  testified  to  the  life  of  Christ 
in  his  soul  by  endurance  of  hardships  and  sufferings  out 
of  measure  and  bv  deaths  oft,  for  the  sake  of  the  Gospel. 
His  passion  to  serve  has  made  him  wise  to  remain  in 
all  things  like  unto  his  brethren,  save  in  religion.  He 
is  an  "Asiatic  devotee  following  an  Asiatic  Messiah." 
Here  we  discern  promise  of  a  new  day  for  India. 
Among  native  women  of  mark  in  India  and  Burma  the 
Pundita  Eamabai  stands  pre-eminent.  We  add  the 
names  of  the  Sorabji  sisters,  celebrated  educators ;  Dr. 
Ethel  Maya  Das,  who  is  professor  in  the  Ludhiana 
Medical  College;  Dr.  Ma  Saw  Sa,  head  of  the  Lady 
Dufferin  Hospital  in  Rangoon,  Burma. 

Four  commissioners  representing  China  at  the  Dis- 
armament Conference  at  Washington  have  attended 
mission  schools.  Three  graduated  at  these  schools  and 
two  are  professed  Christians.  Further,  Hon.  C.  T. 
Wang,  to  whose  earnest  Christian  character  his  words 
have  already  testified,  well  represents  China.  Mr.  Wm. 
Hung,  scholar  and  teacher,  now  about  to  take  the  chair 
of  Church  History  in  Peking  University,  is  a  man  of 
brilliant  promise.  General  Feng's  story  has  astonished 
the  world.  In  a  recent  letter  from  a  traveller  in  N^orth- 
west  China  we  receive  a  personal  impression:  "We 
found  the  General  under  canvas  with  his  troops,  11,000 
men.  He  is  a  splendid  man — tall  and  broad-shouldered, 
full  of  strength  and  courage  and  out  for  God." 
Among  Chinese  women  we  may  mention  Miss  Dora  Yu 


344  WONDERS  OF  MISSIONS 

as  showing  remarkable  gifts  for  spiritual  leadership. 
The  first  Christian  Chinese  woman  to  receive  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  Dr.  Hu  King  Eng,  is  described 
as  an  honour  to  her  race.  China  has  produced  a  group 
of  eminent  Christian  women  physicians,  among  whom 
Dr.  Mary  Stone,  Dr.  Ida  Kahn  and  Dr.  Li  Bi  Cu  are 
well  known  in  the  United  States. 

Coming  to  Japan  we  think  first  of  the  famous  evan- 
gelist, the  Rev.  Paul  Kanamori,  one  of  the  original 
Kumamoto  Band  of  Japan,  who  pledged  themselves  to 
make  it  their  aim  "to  enlighten  the  darkness  of  the  Em- 
pire 'by  preaching  the  Gospel  even  at  the  sacrifice  of 
their  lives."  The  Eev.  Kozaki  and  the  Eev.  Uyemura, 
pastors  'of  large  churches  in  Tokio,  are  making  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  Capital.  The  Hon.  Soroku  Ebara, 
for  twenty  years  member  of  Parliament,  decorated  by 
the  Emperor  for  his  services  to  education,  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
president,  ardent  temperance  worker,  stands  out  as  the 
great  Christian  Samurai  of  modem  Japan.  Mme.  Kaji 
Yajima,  as  Japan's  foremost  woman  educator,  must 
head  the  list  of  Japanese  women.  Although  her  age  is 
eighty-nine  years,  her  record  and  her  influence  place 
her  among  the  makers  of  the  future.  Mme.  Yajima  re- 
cently came  to  the  United  States  as  delegate  to  the 
Disarmament  Conference.  She  brought  with  her  a 
petition  signed  by  ten  thousand  Japanese  women  ask- 
ing for  world  peace.  We  may  name  after  her  Miss 
Yasui  of  the  Woman's  Christian  College  of  Tokio; 
Michi  Kawai,  effective  head  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association  in  her  country,  and  Miss  Ume 
Tsuda,  head  of  an  important  girls'  school  in  Tokio. 

The  character  of  the  native  converts  of  Africa  and 
of  the  Pacific  Islands  has  been  sufficiently  illustrated 
in  earlier  chapters  of  this  book.     For  Africa  we  may 


MAKERS  OF  THE  FUTURE       345 

merely  add  that  Samuel  Crowther,  slave-boy  in  Sierra< 
Leone,  consecrated  Bishop  of  the  Niger  in  1864,  in  Can- 
terbury Cathedral,  one  of  the  great  Christian  forces  of 
Nigeria,  was  the  first,  not  the  last  in  the  roll  of  native 
bishops. 

From  a  host  of  eminent  names  we  have  mentioned  but 
a  score.  They  suffice,  however,  to  represent  the  Native 
Church  throughout  the  world,  as  also  the  individual 
transformed  life — the  supreme  Wonder  of  Missions. 


THE   EKD 


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